Troubled Times
by MarauderGirl777
Summary: After the war, Sakura is sent to Suna to teach the doctors there about advanced medical ninjutsu. Kankuro is assigned as her guide while in Suna and sparks fly. But there is trouble brewing in the Hidden Sand... Sakura finds some suspicious documents linking the village to a rising terrorist group. GaaSakuKanku. Possible Lemon later?
1. Reunion

_Chapter One: Reunion_

Sand.

Sand was everywhere, in every direction. And frankly, if she didn't have a natural sense of direction, and hadn't been here many times before, she would have easily gotten lost.

Granted, it had been several years since she'd been here, but that was beside the point.

She'd reached the desert hours ago, and by Kami, it was _hot._ The sun shone brightly down upon the terrain, relentless and unforgiving. It was so hot that she could see the fumes rising up off of the hot sand. She was used to the pleasant, mild weather of Konoha, so the heat that was consuming her now was making her uncomfortable. She was dirty from days of travel, and the heat was making sweat form in areas she didn't even know she could sweat. Her clothes were damp with it, and her feet slid around in her shoes because of it.

She'd forgotten how much she hated traveling to Suna.

She didn't have to worry much longer, however, because reaching the desert meant she was almost there. She only had a few more hours and she'd reach the entrance to the village. So, with a resolute nod, she continued on through the sand, keeping her footsteps on the sand light and quick.

XXX

As she thought, she arrived at the walls of Suna a mere few hours later. However, in that few hours, her clothes had gone from damp to soaked, and her hair clung to her neck, which was soaked with sweat. It ran down her face and into her eyes and every inch of her was filthy. She felt like the swamp monster, or worse. She could tell she looked pretty haggard, too, from the looks the guards at the entrance gave her as they asked her what her business was.

"I'm a kunoichi of Konohagakure no Sato. I have business with the Kazekage."

"Ah, we've been expecting you," one guard said politely. "Make your way to the Kazekage Mansion. You can't miss it."

She thanked them and entered the village. She ran down the main street, stirring up sand in her wake. She was too tired to do anything other than run at this point. If she walked through the village at a leisurely pace, she wouldn't have the strength to switch back to business mode when needed. Some civilians stopped to stare at the foreign kunoichi as she darted by, a blur of colors. Her breath came in short pants, and the sweat blurred her vision, but she didn't need perfect vision to know where she was going. The Kazekage Mansion was the biggest building in the village, making up its center. Every other building in the village surrounded it in a giant circular structure. The huge spherical building loomed over her as she ventured closer, casting shadows that were a relief from the sun. This encouraged her to move faster, eager to reach her destination before she collapsed. She'd journeyed for three days straight, without a single stop to rest her body. She felt ready to collapse. She was a kunoichi, so she'd been trained to endure harsh environments and long amounts of time without sleep, but she definitely wasn't used to Suna, and even though she'd dressed for the sun, wearing a halter-top and short shorts under her skirt, she was still weary.

She opened the door at the bottom floor, and the temperature inside the building was a huge relief compared the sweltering heat outside. Without stopping, she began climbing stairs, her footsteps echoing through the air. She heard nothing but her footsteps and the sound of her own breathing as she climbed up floor after floor. Soon, after she reached the fourth floor, she began hearing signs of life, and seeing something other than walls and windows. The stairs kept spiraling upwards, but now a walk-way with a railing circled around the stairs, in a sort of hallway for each floor, and doors lined the walk-way. Different rooms had different purposes: meeting rooms, work rooms, different departments for different orders of business. It was the same for the Hokage Building at home.

But she wasn't here for the translation department or the science department or the missions department. Her destination was the office at the top floor: the Kazekage's office. She was here by order of the Kazekage, and that's who she was to report to. And as she mindlessly traveled the spiraling staircase, she wondered how much, or if, he'd changed. It had been literally over two years since she'd last seen him, during the Fourth Great Ninja War. She was about nineteen years old now, and she'd become a Jonin due to her actions in the war. She'd proven herself a capable kunoichi and had been promoted. He was supposedly doing very well, according to Naruto, who visited often on his vacation days. He was lifelong friends with the Kazekage, and while Sakura was cordial with him, she didn't truly _know_ him, at least not well enough to call him a close friend. She wondered what he looked like, how he'd grown. She wondered if he'd finally gotten that connection with the village that he'd longed for.

She finally reached the top floor, and she'd been so lost in thought that she hadn't even noticed that the door that led to her destination was opening, and a person was leaving the room.

 **WHUMPH!**

"Oof!" someone grunted, and as she slammed into them, her legs buckled weakly and she fell into them. They caught her by the shoulders before she could fall, and held her steady with a strong grip.

She opened her eyes blearily, about to apologize profusely, when she lifted her gaze and locked eyes with the person she'd run into. Jade met sea-foam, and she froze. _She just slammed into the Kazekage._ After a long moment of silence, she suddenly gasped and straightened up, pulling from his grasp and blushing furiously. She reached out to begin dusting him off, shouting apologies of every kind.

He silenced her and stopped her actions with a simple wave of his hand. His dark-rimmed eyes merely gazed at her in a serious way, and he shook his head. "No need for apologies, Haruno-san," he said smoothly. "Please, have a seat inside." He motioned to the door he'd just come out of. "I was just about to deliver a scroll to the translation department. I'll return in just a moment." And just like that, he swept past her gracefully and headed down the hallway.

Sakura watched him go, before numbly moving to step inside his office. Like the rest of the building, it was cool, and the walls were made of the same mud-like substance as every other building in Suna. His office was neat and sparsely decorated, with only a desk and a few chairs, including the large, comfortable one he sat in. Paperwork was neatly stacked on his desk, and it made Sakura wish that her own teacher kept up with her work so precisely. The blond woman usually just let papers litter her desk in unruly piles, making her office look unkempt.

Seeing nothing to catch her interest, Sakura's thoughts turned inward, and she was suddenly ashamed of her appearance. She hadn't thought about it before, because she was so focused on just getting there, but now that she looked at herself in the mirror on wall to her right, she realized just how awful she looked. Her pink hair was damp with sweat and clung to her face and neck, and her clothes were wrinkled and soaked with perspiration. She looked rough, and she smelled awful too. She had clumsily fallen onto the Kazekage, looking and smelling like this? Was her luck so bad? She felt horrible about it now.

She didn't have long to sulk over her appearance, because he'd returned, smoothly closing the door behind him and approaching his desk. He brushed by her and then sat at his desk, motioning for her to sit down as well. Sakura hesitantly sat, looking at him nervously. All she could think about was how much she hated him seeing her like this and how humiliating it was. However, Gaara seemed to take no notice of her scruffy looks and instead untied a scroll sitting on his desk, unrolling it. He glanced at her before setting it down and reading it. "Haruno Sakura, have you been briefed on why you're here?"

Sakura nodded slightly. "Tsunade-shishou told me what I was going to be doing here. She said that I was going to be training Suna's medical corps in advanced medical ninjutsu."

Gaara nodded back. "Yes. You'll be working at the hospital and teaching classes there. At 8 A.M., you'll report to the hospital and teach classes until noon. You'll have a lunch break, and then you'll work at the hospital, organizing and lending a hand until five. Then, you have the rest of the day to do as you please. You'll also have one day off a week to do as you please. While you're here, you'll be staying in a guest wing here in the mansion, and you'll receive all meals as well as pay."

Sakura nodded, absorbing the information and storing it for later use. She had questions, but she saved them for when he was finished speaking.

Gaara continued. "Since you're not very familiar with the village, I've given my brother Kankuro time off of missions to escort you around and make sure you know what to do and where to go. In fact, he should be here any time now to show you to your room and to get your I.D. made."

"I.D.?" Sakura questioned.

"Since you're a foreign shinobi that will be residing here for a while, it's village policy that you have an I.D. made while you stay here. It's mainly a formality."

Sakura only had one more question. It had been burning in her mind since the moment she'd left Konoha. This was a mission and she had no qualms about doing her duty, but she was going to miss home, that was for sure. She wanted to know how long she'd be homesick. "How long am I going to stay here?" she asked quietly.

"Perhaps a few months," Gaara said brusquely. "When enough progress has been made, you may leave." It was clear to Sakura that Gaara hadn't understood the reason behind her question. She wasn't surprised; the red-head didn't decipher emotions very well. He never did.

There came a knock upon the door, and Gaara said, "Enter."

Kankuro, clad in his usual black outfit, burst in through the door, saying, "Is she here? Am I late?"

Sakura stood up and turned half-way between the brothers, a big smile coming onto her face. She hadn't spoken to Kankuro since the war, but there was always that bond between them, due to her having saved his life years ago. She knew that they were connected because of that, so they were rather friendly with one another when they saw each other. "Kankuro!" she greeted cheerfully, lifting her hand in a small wave.

Kankuro's eyes widened as he looked at her, before he lifted a hand to scratch the back of his head, grinning roguishly at her. "Well if it isn't Pinky," he said, using the nickname he'd coined for her in the war. "You look as good as ever. How's it hangin'?"

Sakura laughed, about to come up with a witty reply, until she remembered that they were still in the presence of the Kazekage. She bit back her retort and shifted her eyes to look at Gaara, waiting to see if he'd say anything.

Finally, he did. "Kankuro, show her to her room, and then take her to get her I.D. made on the third floor."

"Sure thing little bro," Kankuro said, before turning back to the door and opening it. He motioned with his finger for her to join him. "Let's get goin', Pinky. Follow me."

Sakura made to follow him, before she stopped at the door. She turned to look back at Gaara, who sat serenely at his desk. Their eyes met, and Gaara said smoothly, "I'll see you soon, Haruno-san."

Sakura nodded, giving him the smallest of smiles, before following Kankuro out the door. She caught up to him as he walked, and she followed him down the stairs. "I have a name, you know," she said as they walked.

Kankuro laughed. "I know it all too well, Sakura." He glanced at her, smirking. "You don't like my nickname? It's a sign of affection!" He mocked being hurt, clapping a hand to his chest.

Sakura smirked and rolled her eyes. "Affection, my butt. Since when have you ever been affectionate?"

"Only when it comes to you!" Kankuro said, giving her a smirk. Sakura rolled her eyes and shook her head, amused. Then, he gave her a genuine smile. "I really am glad to see you," he said sincerely.

He led her down to the bottom floor, the two making casual, light-hearted conversation. When they reached the bottom, Sakura looked around, confused.

"I thought he said I was going to stay in a guest wing here in the mansion," she said.

"You are." Kankuro chuckled and shook his head, before he pressed a small, unnoticeable button on the wall. A door opened in the middle of the wall, and Sakura gaped. Kankuro, amused by her shock, entered through it, walking into a long hallway. Sakura followed, and only after the door closed behind them did she find her voice.

"Why on earth do you guys have a secret passageway?"

"Well, since Gaara became the Kazekage, we've kinda had to add this here," Kankuro said. His tone was light-hearted, but Sakura thought he seemed kind of bitter about his next words. "The fangirls found out where we'd lived previously, and, well.. you can imagine why we need to keep it secret now."

Sakura made a face. Fangirls? "Well, I'm not really surprised, now that you mention it," she said, rolling her eyes.

Kankuro made a face as well. "Tell me about it."

He led her down the hallway, and passed by two doors. He stopped at the third door on the right and then motioned for her to enter first. Sakura brushed by him and entered the room.

She shouldn't have been surprised at how nice the room looked, but she was. It was probably made for foreign politicians and important people to stay in while they were in Suna. The room was decorated in rich red and gold colors, and was spacious and neat, with a king-sized canopy bed in the middle. It was beautiful, and Sakura was awed that they allowed her to stay in such a nice room. "It's beautiful!" she commented, turning to Kankuro, who stood in the doorway.

He smirked. "It's alright. It's normally for foreign government people when they come to Suna."

"I figured as much," Sakura commented, looking around the room once more. She looked back at Kankuro, suddenly embarrassed. "I, uhm.. I'm kinda dirty from traveling all the way here. I was wondering if I could… bathe first."

Kankuro arched a brow. "Sure thing," he said. "There are spare clothes in the closet. Or, at least there usually are." He shrugged. "I'll be waiting in the hall."

He turned to leave, but Sakura called out to him. "Kankuro!"

He turned back to look at her.

Sakura smiled sincerely. "I'm glad to see you too."

His lips quirked into a coy grin, and he smirked at her. "Hurry up, Pinky."

Sakura shook her head, chuckling in amusement as he left the room.


	2. The Hang of Things

_Chapter Two: The Hang of Things_

The setting sun bore down upon them, causing the plastic I.D. card to gleam in the warm light. It was early evening, and they walked down the main street of the village side by side. Though it was still a little strange, seeing Kankuro after years of no contact, Sakura had quickly gotten used to his company, and his light and teasing attitude helped ease her discomfort.

At the moment, he was pointing out different places and landmarks, explaining what they were and why she might want/need to go there. After reminding her where the burial grounds were (they'd buried Lady Chiyo there several years prior), he pointed to a place as they approached it, and he stopped. "That place right there? It's a great place to eat. Tourists stop there all the time." Kankuro turned his head to look at her, stuffing his hands back into his pockets. "Speaking of, wanna grab a bite? You haven't eaten since you got here."

Sakura opened her mouth to protest, but her stomach chose that moment to let out a loud rumble. Blushing in embarrassment, Sakura looked at the ground. "Yeah, I'm starving."

Kankuro jerked his head in the direction of the restaurant. "Free food is good food. Care to join me?"

Sakura gave him a big smile. "I'll say."

XXX

" – And then we had to get out of the way before we were crushed," he finished.

Sakura was hunched over the table opposite of the puppet master currently speaking, chewing on her food before commenting, "Brutal," with raised eyebrows. She swallowed before finishing her sentence. "So you're not kidding about just how bad Gaara was as a kid."

Kankuro shrugged. "There were plenty of times where Temari and I could have died. I don't know if it was luck or fate that we survived living with Gaara. But you know, it wasn't really his fault. And I never once blamed him or held any grudges."

Sakura rose a brow and looked at the brunette across from her skeptically. "You're telling me you never once blamed Gaara?"

Kankuro hesitated a moment, before relenting. "Well, maybe when I was a kid. I didn't know any better; I didn't know what our father and the other village elders had done to him. The bullshit they put him through. All I knew was that my little brother was psychotic."

Despite the grimness of his statement, Sakura chuckled at his use of language. Kankuro smirked a little before taking another bite of his tempura. The two were currently sitting in a booth in one of the most popular restaurants in Suna, which specialized in tempura. Kankuro seemed like he was about to say something else, when suddenly they were interrupted by a presence at the table. A well-tanned girl with wild red hair bounded up to the table and grinned widely at them both. Her ice blue eyes sparkled with life, and though she was rather short, she seemed rambunctious. Sakura could tell all of these things just by looking at her.

"Kankuro-saaaan!" she greeted gleefully, before lunging in and giving the black-clad puppet user a big bear hug right in the midst of his eating. The scene made Sakura chuckle a little; the distress on Kankuro's face was obvious. He turned pink and pried the girl off of him, clearing his throat.

"Akane! Should've known you'd be here," he greeted casually.

She flashed him a bright grin. "Tempura IS my favorite!" she responded, before turning her attention on Sakura, as if she'd just realized she was there. The girl's eyes widened with wonder and suddenly a large smile creased her lips and she held out a hand. "HI!" she greeted Sakura excitedly. "I'm Akane! Welcome to Suna! What's your name? Where are you from? Why are you visiting us? Do you like the tempura here as much as I do? This restaurant has the best tempura in the west!"

Sakura tried to clear her head, feeling a little overwhelmed by the girl's sudden stream of questions. "I-I'm Sakura, Sakura Haruno," she said, gathering herself enough to smile and shake Akane's hand. "I'm a medical kunoichi from Konoha – I'm here to train the hospital nurses and doctors here. It looks like I'll be staying with you guys for a while." Sakura's happy expression faltered at the mention of being away from home for so long, but thankfully the boisterous girl didn't seem to notice. Sakura answered her last questions, saying, "I haven't tried the tempura yet; I wanted to try some of their sweets first!"

Akane blinked a few times, as if a little shocked, before looking rather indignant. Instead of fussing at Sakura, like expected, however, she turned on Kankuro, hands on her hips. "Kankurooo! How could you bring someone here and be someone's tour guide without getting them to try the tempura?"

Kankuro put his hands up defensively, shrugging. "I just let her pick what she wanted! Come on, Akane."

The lively red-head shook her head, before turning around. Grabbing a chair, she pulled it up to the table and made herself at home. Sakura thought it was kind of rude to just sit at someone else's table, but she also admired the girl's boldness. When a waitress came by, Akane ordered a green tea, then continued with, "And a large platter of shrimp tempura, please! Can you believe that Sakura-san here has NEVER tried it?"

XXX

 _Knock knock knock._

"Mmmphh…" She grabbed her pillow and pulled it over her head.

"Er, pinky? You alive in there?"

Her eyes popped open. She was suddenly ten times more awake now than she was two seconds ago. _What time was it?_ She threw her pillow off and tossed her blankets aside, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed and rubbing her eyes. One look at the small alarm clock by her bed told her that it was approximately 7:15 AM.

"C-Coming! One second!" She called to the man waiting outside the door. Hopping out of bed and rummaging through her bag, she threw some clothes on that included a red qipao top with the clan symbol on the back, some black shorts, and ninja sandals. She'd traded in her boots for something a little bit lighter after the war. Pulling on her elbow and knee protectors, she grabbed her head-band, lesson book, and I.D. card before throwing herself out the door. She nearly face-planted Kankuro's chest on the way out.

Embarrassed, the pinkette pulled back and hastily fixed her I.D. card to her shirt. "S-Sorry about that, I was, uh…"

"… Sleeping." Kankuro had his hands stuffed in his pockets, an amused smile on his painted face. A hood covered up his unruly brown hair. He was dressed in black, as usual.

Unable to tell him he was wrong, Sakura only pouted. "Have you ever thought about introducing a color pallet to your wardrobe?" she taunted.

"That was a lame comeback," Kankuro snorted. Leaning off the wall, he turned his back on her. "Come on, pinky. We've only got a few minutes to get breakfast before you need to be at the hospital."

Instead of making any other comments, Sakura focused on tying her headband into her hair, running her fingers through the pink strands. She hadn't had time to use a brush, so this would have to do for now. She was fully embarrassed; her first day on the job and she'd nearly overslept? Thank Kami for Kankuro, who seemed to be her saving grace. She glanced up at him as they left the Kazekage mansion, and when the sunlight hit his face, she was nearly awed. She'd never really taken the time to look at him… this was probably the most she'd looked at his face when it wasn't medically required.

He was.. well, handsome. But not a devastating kind, like Kakashi-sensei, a dark kind, like Sasuke-kun, or a regal kind, like… Gaara. Wait, why on earth was she thinking about the Suna brothers like this? It wasn't that time of the month yet, was it? That seemed to be the only time Sakura couldn't stop thinking about guys… usually she had more important things to do. Besides, she was waiting. Well… she _had been_ waiting. She wasn't sure whether she wanted to wait any longer or not. After the war, Sasuke and Naruto had their fight, and Sasuke came back to the village. Her dreams were coming true. The Uchiha even seemed happy to see her, which left her breathless. But then… he left. Again. This time it wasn't in abandonment; he'd called it a journey to "repent of his sins." Who the hell knew what that meant?

He'd promised he'd see her again, and at first she was hopeful… But after a while of his absence, she was just angry. He'd finally realized the error of his ways, and he left. He fucking left. Every time she thought about it, she felt abandoned all over again. She'd waited, and waited, and waited for him – she'd spent her entire life waiting for him, and he knew it. And he was so selfish that he decided to make her wait even longer.

She wasn't going to wait any longer. The stupid ass had his chance and he –

"Woah, you look mad. Are you thinking about something or are you just that hungry?"

Sakura snapped out of her angry reverie to find herself pantingand gripping her lesson plans too tightly, Kankuro looking at her with mildly surprised dark eyes. She blushed hotly, embarrassed. "I-I was just… yeah, I'm hungry," she lied, averting her gaze.

"I don't believe you, but okay," Kankuro commented, shrugging. "Let's see… I would take you somewhere nice, but sleeping beauty doesn't have time for anything but a quick stop."

Sakura punched his arm lightly, laughing. "Shut up, okay? I was tired from running all the way here!"

"Wimp."

She punched him again.

XXX

"Bye!" She waved to the shinobi as he left the hospital. "Thanks for the coffee!"

"You must be Sakura Haruno!" Sakura turned to see a tanned woman with piercing silver eyes and long, slicked-back black hair giving her a serene smile. She had mysterious tribal red markings on her face, almost like make-up, but somehow more intricate. She was older, perhaps in her late thirties, but she hid her age well. She looked like a twenty year-old. Her heels clicked on the tile floor as she took a few steps towards Sakura, extending a hand. "I'm Setsuko Hoki. I'm one of the doctors here. We're so, so grateful for your help."

Sakura took the woman's hand, shaking it firmly. "You certainly look the part," the pinkette commented, surprised. "If doctors like you work here, why on earth would Suna need my help?"

The woman laughed, an elegant, chirping sound. Sakura could tell just by hearing her voice that the woman was musical, probably a singer. "I am good at what I do, but I focus on musical healing and holistic medicine. Acupuncture, musical jutsu, herbal remedies, meditation. I know a bit of medical ninjutsu, but nearly enough. I'll be in your class along with many other doctors."

"It'll be very nice to have you there," Sakura said, hiding her true emotions. She wasn't going to tell this woman and hurt feelings, but the pinkette personally thought holistic medicine was invented by quacks and had no place in a hospital or even medical science. She'd read some journals on acupuncture and thought it did absolutely no good. Taking a sip of the coffee Kankuro bought her, the kunoichi looked up at a clock on the wall, frowning. "Well, it's 7:45. I guess we'd better go. Where is the classroom where I'll be teaching?"

"Follow me." The woman turned to leave, and passed by the receptionist's desk and clicked down a hallway. The two were silent most of the way, Sakura being deep in thought. She was, frankly, very worried, and it seemed to show on her face because as they walked into an office, Setsuko asked, "What's wrong?"

Sakura pursed her lips. "It's nothing."

The woman smiled, her red lips curving upward. "I can tell when people aren't being entirely truthful… are you worried about teaching?"

Sakura sighed. "I spent most of the night trying to come up with a cohesive lesson plan… I just don't know if I'll do a good job. I've been told I'm a good teacher, but…"

"I'm sure you will do fine, Sakura-san. Here." The woman had grabbed a white lab coat from the small rack in the corner of the nice office space. The room was clean, spacious, and smelled like lavender. It was relaxing and reminded her of home, and Sakura could feel tension draining from her muscles. Who knew simply being in a comforting environment could do so much? Taking the coat from her new coworker, Sakura set her lesson plans down for a moment and donned the coat, immediately feeling a touch better.

"That looks good on you," Setsuko commented with a smile.

Sakura blushed. "Thank you. Let's get going. Lead the way."

On the way to the classroom, the two women said very little to one another. Occasionally Setsuko would point out where something was located, but other than that, they didn't speak. It was only when they arrived at the classroom in the radiology wing of the hospital that Setsuko opened the door and allowed Sakura inside first. The tanned woman was a natural leader, it seemed. As soon as she followed the pinkette inside, closing the door behind her, all of the doctors and nurses straightened in their seats. Perhaps Setsuko wasn't the head of the hospital, but it was clear she was well-respected. Sakura would have to put aside her feelings about holistic medicine and get close with this woman.

"This is Sakura Haruno of Konohagakure, everyone," Setsuko introduced her, making a gesture towards the pinkette. "We've been told she was coming, and she and the Leaf have been generous enough to share with us their broad knowledge of medical ninjutsu and modern medicine. So please, don't be disrespectful. I hope I don't need to explain classroom rules to a room full of adults. Let's be courteous and give her our complete attention for as long as she's here."

With that, the woman went to the front row and sat down, pulling out a notebook. Likewise, most of the other doctors had done the same. "Thank you, Setsuko," Sakura said kindly, giving the room a broad smile as she approached the desk up front. Setting her notebook down on it, she opened it up and glanced down at her hastily-written notes, before looking around the room. Behind her was a black-board, freshly cleaned, and along one side of the room were examination tables. On the other end were cabinets filled with scientific instruments. A skeleton even sat on the counter beneath next to the sink.

Returning to the present, Sakura focused on the classroom, all the doctors and nurses attentively listening, and she leaned against the desk. "So I'm going to teach you everything I've learned about medical ninjutsu. We'll start with the basics first and go from there. Even if you know what I'm teaching at the moment, pay attention anyways. You might learn something you didn't know before. I also want to thank everyone for arriving early. Punctuality is important to me." She felt a twinge of guilt saying that, and thought of Kankuro, who saved her ass that morning. She silently thanked him before continuing.

"Now, as you all might know, chakra control is the basis of all medical ninjutsu. If you're terrible at chakra control, you will never make an adept medical ninja. That's the sad truth. Now, I'm going to show you – where is the chalk?" She began searching the desk for some, and found a half-empty pack in the bottom drawer. Pulling out a fresh piece, she began drawing on the board.

"I'm a teacher, not an artist," she said as she began depicting a hastily-drawn diagram of the human body. "Now: Because chakra takes time and a great deal of training to gradually build up, the key to its use is not actually having large amounts of chakra but instead being able to sufficiently control and conserve it. It doesn't really matter how much chakra you have as long as you know how to control it! This is chakra control, and besides its usefulness in medical ninjutsu, it's a very vital technique to have in any situation. In order to have good chakra control, you should only mould as much chakra as you need to perform a given ability. If you mould more chakra than is needed, the excess chakra is wasted and you will tire out faster from its loss. If you don't mould enough chakra, the technique will not be performed effectively, if at all. And as you know, that's a big problem. If you need to work on your chakra control, there are some training methods for improving one's moulding and manipulation of chakra. They are the Leaf Concentration, Tree Climbing, and Water Surface Walking exercises. They're usually taught to ninja as genin, so I'm not going to go over them. If you need help with that, see me after class."

XXX

"You did a wonderful job," Setsuko said after class had adjourned. "Starting from the very beginning like that – It's very useful, especially to the nurses who are just learning some medical ninjutsu for the first time."

Sakura let out a deep breath as she followed the tanned woman back through the halls of the hospital, towards the front. It was lunch time, and Sakura was pretty hungry. Teaching took a lot out of her. "Thanks, Setsuko," she said, feeling a little relieved. The two reached the front, passing by the front desk, and there in a chair in the lobby sat Kankuro. Tilting her head, she approached the shinobi. His head was tipped back, and as she got closer, she noticed he was… asleep.

He looked kinda cute. The pinkette was surprised to find herself thinking this, but, well, there it was. "Tired?" she asked, her face close to his, and his dark eyes opened. He snorted lowly.

"You're a little close there, pinky," he mumbled, his voice raspy. "I didn't know you liked me that much."

Sakura could feel heat rising to her cheeks, and she immediately backed away. "Don't flatter yourself," she grumbled. "Why are you here? Am I going to be seeing a lot of you while I'm here?"

Kankuro got to his feet, stretching. He was a good head taller than her. After giving in to a yawn, he eyed her, amused. "Just think of me as your new best friend," he said.

Sakura grinned up at him. "Is that a contractual obligation or do you just enjoy my company?" she teased.

"I guess you'll never know." The brunette winked. "Now, where do you want to eat lunch? My treat."

"Free food again? I could get used to this." Tossing off her lab coat, the pinkette looped her arm in his and they exited the hospital.


	3. Free Food

_Chapter Three: Free Food_

"Erm… Hello."

She didn't know what else to say. Lunch with Kankuro had been relaxed and playful, and after that she'd come back to the hospital to overlap with some of her new students. This young woman – child, really – stared up at Sakura with such big eyes she thought they might pop out of her head. When the girl didn't move, Sakura shuffled uneasily. "Erm—"

"Sorry about her," someone said, and Sakura was relieved when the girl was pulled away from her. "This is Fushigi. She's, err, a huge fan." Sakura looked up from the extremely short girl to the person standing next to her: a humble-looking young man with glasses and sandy blond hair. "I'm Tetsudaite, but people just call me Tetsu." He held out a hand, smiling kindly at Sakura.

"I'm Sakura Haruno; it looks like I'll be working with you," Sakura responded, returning his smile. She wasn't sure what it was, but this man was oddly comforting. He didn't specifically remind her of anyone; perhaps it was just his humble demeanor. Fushigi, however… Although she wasn't in Sakura's face anymore, the girl was still staring with big, admiring eyes.

"Is… she alright?" Sakura asked, pointing at the silent girl. "She doesn't even look old enough to be here."

"I'm right here, ya know!" The girl spoke suddenly, her voice so loud and shrill that Sakura had to blink to bring herself back to the present. It was almost dizzying. "I know I'm short, but I'm almost as old as you are, I promise! I'm just… it's amazing to meet you! I wanna be just like you – maybe even surpass you one day!" the girl exclaimed.

Sakura couldn't help but blink a few times. The duo had such conflicting personalities – yet they both seemed to know each other so well. Like they were close. She suddenly felt sorry for Tetsu; having to hear such a piercing high voice all the time must've been a nightmare. But he didn't seem perturbed by Fushigi's behavior at all. Maybe he was used to it.

"Anyways, we have a list of patients, Sakura-san," Tetsu said, handing her a clip-board and a few small to medium patient files in manila folders. "We've been ordered to let you take the lead, give you any information you need, and watch and learn."

"I think one of our patients is even scheduled for surgery today!" Fushigi exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "It will be so exciting to watch you work!"

Sakura still didn't know how to react to this girl. She seemed too boisterous for her own good. Maybe she'd get used to her… Hopefully. "Well, let's get a move on, then," she told the two, going into doctor mode. When in doctor mode, Sakura was sharp, direct, professional. She didn't let anything or anyone get in her way – and if they did, Kami help them. She began walking, her lab coat swishing behind her, and she didn't see the look of admiration Fushigi gave her before scurrying along as well.

The trio did rounds on almost all the patients, Sakura taking the lead. She'd been updated on all of the patients as she went along, and she used her knowledge to make assessments, heal wounds, give prescriptions, and more. She did the same job she would have done at her own hospital – all while answering the numerous questions posed by the two doctors trailing her.

They came along to the final patient of the day, and Sakura briefly skimmed through the file before entering the room. "Seishin Kyoku, 25," Sakura read from the file. "Looks like you're scheduled for a surgery in an hour to get some shrapnel removed from your stomach. You're only now stable enough to risk surgery, eh? It's been rough for you. I'm so sorry." Sakura looked at the man in the bed, with dull eyes and mousy brown hair. "We're hoping to have you good as new today. I'll be performing your surgery myself."

"… And who are you?" The man's voice was raspy, dull just like his eyes. All this time in the hospital had obviously gotten to him. He'd all but given up.

Sakura smiled at him, determined not to show pity. Most shinobi, especially those from Suna, didn't like pity and viewed it as a sign of disrespect. They liked to be treated as equals. "I'm Sakura Haruno, from Konoha. I've come here to help teach about medical ninjutsu. I'm very good at what I do."

The man's face hardened. "I don't like you Leaf Ninja… I refuse to have you do my surgery. I want a doctor from Suna in here! Now!"

"Sir," Tetsu objected, stepping forward. He adjusted his glasses. "Haruno-san is one of the best there is. You couldn't ask for a more competent surgeon."

"I don't care! Out!" the man demanded. When they hesitated, his voice rose. "OUT!"

The three doctors left the room quickly. Sakura could feel her face growing hot with embarrassment, but held herself together. She refused to cry, refused to show that her feelings were hurt. Outside the room, Tetsu frowned as he apologized. "I'm sorry about that, Sakura-san. Some of our older residents have a grudge against the Leaf… Never seen someone that young carry it, though."

"It's alright," Sakura replied, forcing a smile. She took a deep breath to calm herself. "I understand. I'm sure someone else can perform the surgery."

"Let me talk to him!" Fushigi chirped, before bouncing back into the room.

"F-Fushigi, wait—" Tetsu called, seeming worried, but the door closed.

Sakura frowned. "She should be okay. He seemed angry, not violent."

Tetsu only adjusted his glasses, shifting uneasily. They stood like that for a few minutes until Fushigi came back out, closing the door again behind her. She looked rather pleased with herself. "He agreed to have Sakura-san do the surgery as long as one of our doctors is in there with her!" She exclaimed. "Yay! I'm so glad I can see Sakura-nii do surgery!"

"S-Sakura… Nii?" The pinkette looked at the girl, surprised by her boldness.

The short girl blushed, batting her big blue eyes. She curled a finger around one of her dark fuschia pig-tails. "S-Sorry," she mumbled. "I've just looked up to you for a long time…"

Sakura waved a hand dismissively. "I-It's okay!" she chuckled nervously. "No problem at all. So you two will join me for surgery, right? Let's go get ready."

XXX

The patient laid on the surgical table, put under with anesthesia. Once the anesthesiologist gave the go ahead, Sakura snapped on her gloves, put on her mask, and headed into the sterilized room. Fushigi and Tetsu, both sterilized now as well, followed her in, both eager and anxious to get started. "Follow my orders and we'll do just fine," Sakura said as the three spread around the table, the two Suna doctors on one side, the pinkette on the other.

After taking a deep breath, Sakura held up a gloved hand. "10-blade."

A nurse to her right handed over the scalpel quickly and under the bright light, Sakura made a clear, clean incision in the patient's abdomen. Her jade eyes focused on her work and she only glanced up to put the blade in a tin container full of solution. At this point her eyes flickered over to the watchful students and while Tetsu watched nervously, Fushigi's blue eyes contained a hungry gleam that was so unnerving that Sakura paused for a moment.

Was she… _enjoying_ this?

Sakura finally pulled her attention away from the eerie girl and her eyes moved to the patient's bleeding abdomen. Her gloved hand lifted once more. "Retractor."

XXX

The setting sun cast the whole village in a bright, warm light, glowing rays of yellow and orange covering every surface – including Sakura's fair skin. Her jade eyes blinked blearily and she had to rub them as she entered the Kazekage mansion. Sakura had been asked to give a report to the Kazekage at the end of each day, but the thought of interacting with Gaara was… nerve-racking. He always seemed so poised, so… regal, and she was covered in sweat and possibly bodily fluids from the surgery she'd performed, and Kami knows what else.

A quiet "Enter" came in response to her hesitant knock at the door and Sakura entered the room slowly, spotting the red-head sitting serenely at his desk. The sun's rays filtered through the open window and cast an even warmer glow to his fiery red hair, lighting up his pale face and making his black-rimmed eyes look even darker. "Haruno-san," he greeted, his voice raspy and monotone.

"Kazekage-sama," she replied, bowing in respect before approaching the desk.

His brow raised and there appeared to be what looked like a flicker of amusement in his blue-green eyes. "I appreciate the respect… but there is no need to act so formal."

"Gomen," she apologized with a sheepish smile. "I-I guess... I'm just nervous. I'm covered in sweat and I haven't brushed my hair today. I don't know, you always seem to be so put-together… You've changed a lot, Kazekage-sama." Embarrassing to admit, but truthful.

The amusement disappeared, replaced with sobering sadness. "Yes… I've changed. Which is exactly why you shouldn't feel nervous around me." Gaara lifted his gaze to the wall and it remained there for a long while. "You've seen me at my absolute worst. When I was nothing more than a…" he cleared his throat. "Naruto changed me. He changed my entire life."

Sakura smiled sadly. "Naruto has that effect on people."

Gaara finally returned his eyes to her, and his gaze was intense. "The point is, Haruno-san, that we may not have spoken to each other that much. But you've seen me during my darkest moments, and that alone is enough to create a bond... So please… Refer to me as Gaara."

After that, Sakura's mood was much lighter. His stature and position were still intimidating but she no longer felt quite as nervous about seeing him. She delivered her report like she would to the Hokage or any other leader, and all in all, their exchange was pleasant, but not out of the ordinary. It seemed that despite his little lecture when she'd come in, Gaara truly wasn't a very loquacious person. But when she turned to leave his office, her hand touching the door, his voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Haruno-san."

She glanced back at him curiously. His face was its usual deadpan expression, but she could have sworn there was a hint of amusement on his lips. "Your hair looks nice."

XXX

Sakura was still reeling when she exited the Kazekage mansion. She was tired enough that if she'd chosen to go to her room at the bottom of the stairs, she could have fallen right asleep. But first… food. But where should she go? If only she'd paid more attention when Kankuro was showing her around the village… Speaking of Kankuro, where was he? He'd been annoyingly good at showing up anytime she needed him, whether she knew it or not – so where was he now?

As if on cue, a shadow fell over her, blocking the sun's setting rays, and she nearly jumped in fright. Whipping around, she got ready to knock the person out, but saw it was – him. Grinning down at her with a smug look she wanted to smack off his face but also found strangely endearing. "I was just wondering where you were," she huffed, arching a brow.

That smirk became impossibly wide. "Someone missed me."

"In your dreams. I was just hoping for more free food."

"Then you're in luck," Kankuro replied. "I was just on my way to get some. Wanna come?"

They fell into step together and let the last of the sun's light warm them. Even though the sun would disappear soon, it was still impossibly hot, and Sakura found herself commenting, "If I stay here very long, I'm going to be more tan than Setsuko."

"Ah, so you've met her. I figured you would. She's a great doctor. I had physical therapy with her once after a pretty nasty mission and because of her my arm works as good as new."

Sakura pursed her lips, keeping her comments to herself. Instead, she said, "You know, you _live_ here. How come you're not that tan?"

Kankuro's lips curled into a wry grin. "I get that question from a lot of people. Here's the answer." Immediately he pulled a hand from his pocket and reached up, touching the black hood that covered his brown hair.

Sakura threw her hands up. "Okay – but don't you get _hot? You live in the desert!"_

He chuckled. "I was _born_ in the desert. I'm used to the heat. It doesn't bother me. Maybe it's just how my body functions. I don't know. But why would I want to ruin my wonderful complexion with a tan?"

A laugh tumbled from the pinkette's lips. "Alright, alright. You win. But there's no way I'm going to wear that much clothing. I'll keep my shorts, thank you."

"Please don't let me or anyone else stop you from wearing those shorts." He gave her a wink.

Something about his comment left Sakura's cheeks feeling flushed and the heat didn't recede until after they'd sat down at a small diner that was cozy and crowded with locals. By that time Kankuro had changed the subject. "So how was your day?" he asked, his voice lilting in a sing-song kind of way. To add to the silliness of it, he set his chin in his palm and gave her dreamy eyes.

Sakura laughed again. "If I tell you, you have to promise never to attempt singing again." Glancing out the window, she began to recall the events of her day to the brunette, starting with meeting Setsuko Hoki and ending with the surgery she'd performed and the two weird medical students who'd watched. "They were total opposites, but they seemed to get along perfectly… Like yin and yang," she finished with a far-away expression.

"What did you say their names were?"

Sakura's eyes moved from the window to see Kankuro furrowing his brows. "Fushigi and Tetsudaite," she said, brows raising in surprise. "You don't know them? Boy with sandy blond hair and a short girl with blue eyes and fuschia pig-tails?"

Kankuro frowned, a hand rubbing his chin. "That doesn't sound familiar," he murmured, but said nothing more on the subject. By that time, the waitress had come by to take their orders.

The pair spent the rest of the evening chatting over a traditional hot pot that they shared. Even though the steaming pot of soup was huge, the two were so hungry that together they ate every single bite, not wasting a single drop of broth. By the time they got ready to leave, night had fallen and stars glittered in the dark sky. Even though Sakura had offered numerous times, Kankuro had insisted on paying for the meal and the tip – which made the pinkette suspicious. Why was he going so far? Surely treating her to every meal wasn't a part of his job description, was it? Even her own village didn't go that far for guests who weren't royalty.

So while they walked back to the Kazekage mansion, she decided to broach the subject. "So what exactly are you supposed to do? I mean, while I'm here?"

He glanced over at her, before focusing his attention back on the street ahead. Things were beginning to wind down but by no means were the stores, shops and market stalls empty. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he took his time answering her. "I'm your tour guide. I show you around the village and provide you with whatever you need."

Just as she'd thought. He was going above and beyond for her. But why? She tipped her head to look up at him, jade eyes narrowing on his face, scrutinizing him. Kankuro noticed her shrewd gaze and raised his brows, holding up his hands defensively. "Whatever it was, I didn't do it."

"But you did." She pursed her lips, following him into the mansion. "You know, I don't remember 'needing' someone to pay for my every meal and escort me everywhere like a personal bodyguard." She may have come off harsh, but she was confused. What kind of game was he trying to play?

But if she'd hurt his feelings, he didn't show it. The brunette merely shrugged his shoulders casually as he pressed the button on the wall that revealed the hidden hallway. "You know, you could just be grateful for free food instead of questioning every move I make."

She followed him in, but her brows furrowed and her green eyes sparked with irritation. "But why? No one else in the village has showed me the same treatment. Hell – I haven't gotten this kind of treatment from anyone in any village I've visited!"

Kankuro ignored her turned to the door to her room, but Sakura stepped in front of him, forcing him to meet her gaze. "Hey, giant – I'm talking to you!" she glared at him, hands clenching into fists. She _hated_ being ignored.

But Kankuro didn't rise up to her challenge – instead, he did something entirely unexpected. Bending down and leaning in, he brought his face close to hers – much too close – making her cheeks flush hotly. What on earth was he doing? Oh, Kami – was he going – was he going to…? Sakura braced herself for his mouth on hers, but instead his hand reached around her and –

 _Click._

The door behind her opened and the sudden lack of pressure against her back nearly made the pinkette tumble to the ground. As it was, she did stumble backwards into the room. With taunting dark eyes and a smug grin, Kankuro said, "Good night, Pinky," and closed the door.

For a few long, eerily quiet moments, Sakura stood there, listening to the wild beating of her heart. She put a hand to her chest, trying to calm herself, and took a deep breath to ease her throbbing lungs.

 _What the hell had just happened?_


	4. Festival

**NOTE: Hi! I'm so grateful for all the favorites, alerts and reviews! If you haven't reviewed this story yet, PLEASE do so, even if it's short; this is what encourages me to keep writing! Thanks for reading!**

 _Chapter Four: Festival_

The next morning, Sakura awoke with her alarm blaring in her ears, making her headache even worse. With what had happened between Kankuro and herself, it had been next to impossible to fall asleep, and when she finally did, she tossed and turned. She didn't even dream – which wasn't good. Sakura had studied sleep extensively and knew very well that REM sleep – the stage of sleep in which one had dreams – was very important to being well-rested for the day.

No wonder she felt like shit.

With an angry grumble, the pinkette threw her covers off and scratched her head. In mere minutes she was dressed and grabbing her small bag of toiletries, making her way to her door. Poking her head out of it, she found that the hallway was empty – good. After what had happened the night before, she had no desire to see Kankuro's stupid smug face. How could she have thought – how delusional was she that she'd actually thought he was going to _kiss_ her? Remembering the flush of her cheeks and the hammering of her heart was both embarrassing and frustrating and… disheartening. Perhaps he really hadn't been going above and beyond and she'd just made a mountain out of a mole-hill. Perhaps now he thought she was a stupid, emotional girl and she wouldn't see him for the rest of the time she was here…

… That prospect was most discouraging of all. Sakura was bound to stay in the village for at least another month or two, and so far Kankuro had been her most valuable friend. Sure, she was a friendly person and had no trouble meeting new people, but none of the locals she'd met thus far had made her feel as at ease as the puppet master.

She found herself in the bathroom – the last door at the end of the small, hidden hallway – and grimaced at her reflection. Despite her shower the night before, it was very clear that she looked exhausted and there was no amount of make-up or face-washing that would fix that. Resigned to her fate, she brushed her teeth, washed her face and left, opening the door and walking – right into the last (and somehow first) person she wanted to see.

Kankuro looked down at her, rubbing the back of his neck before stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Morning, short stuff."

Sakura narrowed her jade eyes on him. "Don't you have a different outfit or something? Looking at the same thing every day gets boring."

He didn't flinch but his expression changed minutely. "Ouch. Rough night? Drink too much?"

Normally she would have bantered with him, but she was not putting up with it that morning. Her migraine alone was bad enough to put her into a bad mood, but after what had happened last night…

Her hands clenched into fists and she nearly crushed her toiletry bag. "Look – I'm not in the mood for your smart ass comments. Why are you here? Don't you have anything better to do? Like play with your dolls? You said your job is to give me what I need; what I need is for you to leave me the hell alone."

Kankuro's eyebrows raised, but if he was hurt by her words, he didn't show it – except for the slight narrowing of his dark eyes. "Alright, Pinky. Got the message loud and clear."

And he turned and left.

XXX

A dark cloud hung over Sakura's head for the rest of the day. She did her absolute best to keep up appearances and smile for her students' sake, but it was difficult. A smile may be the easiest way out of a situation, but that certainly didn't mean that the act of smiling – especially when you had no reason to – was easy. But what was worse, she wasn't just irritable – she was downright distracted. Her lesson had gone to shambles after the first fifteen minutes and so she spent the rest of the class answering questions (or trying to) to cover up her blunders.

When lunch time came around, Sakura entered the front lobby of the hospital, taking off her lab coat, and gave pause when she noticed Kankuro's presence – or lack thereof. Stopping in her tracks, the pinkette stared at the front doors for a long moment, before letting out a heavy sigh. "Guess I'll have to figure out where I'm going to eat," she muttered to herself.

A voice behind her made her look back. "Alone today? I thought Kankuro-san would be with you."

"Oh, Setsuko," Sakura greeted with a nervous smile. "W-Well, he has other things to do, I'm sure. I'll be fine."

"Nonsense!" the woman insisted, shedding her long white coat and joining the pinkette in the lobby. "I know this village like the back of my hand. What kind of food are you in the mood for?"

"I-I, ah… dumplings, maybe?" Sakura's face flushed when the taller woman took her arm. Perhaps this was just a part of Setsuko's personality, but she was certainly getting up close and personal… the Leaf kunoichi didn't know what to make of it. "Erm… Thanks, Setsuko. You really didn't have to."

"I was going to lunch anyways." The woman's sharp silver eyes peered at her. "What's on your mind?"

"W-What do you mean?"

"I noticed that you seemed very distracted during your lecture this morning."

"It's that obvious, huh..?" Sakura sighed. "I don't know. I feel stupid."

"Don't feel stupid. I know we're not the closest of friends – we've only just met – but you can tell me what is wrong and I can try to help, Sakura-san."

Sakura glanced over at the tanned woman. Her silver eyes were warm and inviting and the pinkette suddenly had a hard time not spilling the beans. Finally, as they exited the hospital and found themselves on the streets of the village, she did talk. She told Setsuko about what had happened with Kankuro and how she felt about the whole situation, even going so far as to briefly explain her relationship with Sasuke and how it factored into her emotions. She finished by explaining her homesickness, and it was here that Setsuko nodded in understanding.

"All of what you said makes sense. Homesickness can't be cured, but making new friends and surrounding yourself with good company helps a lot. I suppose that's where Kankuro-san comes in. You've known him for a lot longer than pretty much anyone else here, so it makes sense you'd feel more comfortable around him. I don't want to tell you what to do, Sakura, because all of this is your choice: but if Kankuro's friendship means a lot to you, then it might be in your best interest to get him back."

Sakura looked up at the bright blue sky, a frown on her lips. The Suna native had a point, but those flustered, mixed feelings welled up in her again and her brow set angrily. "Yeah," was all she could muster.

After lunch, Sakura began her overlaps and it went smoothly, for the most part. She was still distracted and irritable, even after a nice lunch with Setsuko, and her mind remained muddled until about two hours before the end of her shift, where she was met with two pairs of bright eyes and expectant smiles. "Tetsu, Fushigi," Sakura greeted, plastering a smile on her face.

"Sakura-nii! You look so pretty today!" the short, fuschia-haired girl gushed. Tetsu only chuckled at her forwardness and said hello to Sakura as they began their rounds together. It all went successfully – with the exception of when Tetsu had asked Sakura what was wrong because she'd looked "very upset" – and they turned down their last hallway, rounding on the last five patients of the day. The two interns followed Sakura into the room of a patient she'd performed surgery on the day before.

"Hello Kyoku-san, we're here to – " Sakura began, but paursed when she looked up from her clipboard. The man in the bed was stiffened, his face pale and his eyes wide with fear.

"Go," he croaked.

"Kyoku-san, I'm not going to harm you," Sakura said softly, figuring that he was showing his usual racism once more. Perhaps Fushigi's words hadn't had any effect on him after all. As she came toward him, he cowered away, but upon closer inspection, Sakura noticed that Seishin's eyes weren't on her – they were staring behind her.

"Her!" the man pointed, his body shaking. "G-Get her away from me!"

Sakura glanced back and saw he was pointing at – Fushigi. Her brow furrowed in confusion and she tried to ask what was wrong, but his fear escalated and his words became incoherent. All he could do was blubber and point his shaking finger at the young girl tearing up by the door.

His cries rose into screams and Sakura had to force a sedative into his IV. Fushigi excused herself from the room and, compassion in his eyes, Tetsu joined her. Once the pinkette was done with her examination, she made a few notes in the patient's file and joined the interns in the hallway. Sheltering the folder under her arm, Sakura turned her green eyes on the pair, a frown on her lips. "What on earth was that about?" she wondered aloud.

Seeing the distress on Fushigi's face, Sakura stooped to put a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. "It's very possible he was having visual hallucinations, Fushigi. An unusual side effect, but it happens occasionally. I wouldn't worry too much about it."

Tetsu set a hand on the girl's other shoulder and smiled sadly down at her. "Don't look so glum. It's okay. Remember how angry he was at Sakura-sensei yesterday? That's bound to happen. Patients don't always like their doctors."

Fushigi wiped her tears and looked up at her friend with glowing blue eyes. "R-Right! Sakura-nii handled it so professionally!" Her gaze turned to Sakura. "I-I'll do my best to be more like you!"

After rounds were over, Sakura was still preoccupied with what had happened. Seishin had showed no signs of any sort of mental troubles – hallucinations were very uncommon without some sort of precursor. That train of thought brought her back to the day before. Fushigi _had_ been alone in the room with the patient… Had she said something to scare him? Had she… no. No. Sure, the girl was odd, but she wouldn't threaten a patient…

… Right?

XXX

As Sakura made her way back to the Kazekage mansion to give her report for the day, she grudgingly noticed that there was still no sign of Kankuro. It hadn't even been a full day; why was she still thinking about this?! About him?! She was driving herself crazy, her brain going in circles, and by the time she opened the door to her destination, she literally wanted to rip her hair out.

Making her way up the stairs, she knocked perhaps a little too loudly on the door to the Kazekage's office. When she heard his voice, she entered the room and plastered a smile onto her face. God, this was getting difficult. Sakura opened her mouth to speak, but thought better of it. The red-head at the desk was staring at her evenly, his expression indecipherable.

Finally, she broke the silence. "Today was fine, sir."

"There's a cloud hanging over you," he said softly, his hands clasped together, elbows propped on the desk.

Sakura's smile faltered, an eye twitching. The laugh that came out of her sounded hollow and unfamiliar. "W-What do you mean?"

"I may still be new at forming bonds with other people, but I'm no stranger to emotions," Gaara spoke again. "The worst time of my life was when I was alone with my demons… I don't want someone else to go through that. Tell me what's bothering you, Sakura-san."

Sakura tensed up, her smile fading from her face. Finally, she straightened her shoulders and looked at him levelly. "I don't want to burden you with my problems, Kazekage-sama."

"Just Gaara… please."

"I don't want to bother you with personal problems… err, Gaara."

They stared at one another for a long, quiet moment, and finally Gaara's expression changed: his lips curled into a half-smile. And for some reason, Sakura's breath went right out of her and it took several moments for the pinkette to remember to fill her lungs. "Remember what I said yesterday… about bonds?"

"Alright, alright!" Sakura threw her hands up, exasperated. She opened her mouth, prepared to spill the beans, when her stomach rumbled loudly enough to cause a flush to spring to her pale cheeks. Glancing away, she avoided his gaze. "G-Gomen, aaah… I usually eat dinner with Kankuro by now."

Gaara's brow line furrowed. "Where is he now?"

"I-I don't know," she admitted sheepishly, more embarrassed about her empty stomach than angry at Kankuro. "I'm sure he has more important things to do than hang around with me all the time."

Gaara took a look at the short stack of papers on his desk, then stood. Arms lifting over his head, he stretched thoroughly, and Sakura hadn't noticed until now just how limber he was. She had to look away so he didn't catch her staring. She made a point to stare at the wall until his voice broke her concentration. "I haven't had anything to eat yet, myself… I can fill in for Kankuro tonight."

Sakura blinked. He was… he was taking her? For food? She thought she might've misheard him but he stepped around the desk and walked smoothly by her, holding the door open and waiting. She had to shake her head, dumbfounded, before she could quickly move to exit the room.

The streets of the village were practically glowing with the orange and yellow light of the setting sun – and somehow, despite only half the sun being visible in the sky, it was _hot._ But then again, it was the middle of April, and the desert was pretty much the hottest area in the shinobi nations. Sakura walked alongside the Kazekage, and as she glanced sideways at him, she couldn't help but admire the way the sun warmed his face and made his dark-rimmed eyes glow. "Where are we eating?" she finally managed to ask.

"Where would you like to go?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "Kankuro just sort of led the way. I like dumplings. They're my favorite."

Gaara looked sideways at her. "There aren't many dumpling shops here. You've narrowed it down quite a bit."

Sakura opened her mouth to apologize, but they were stopped in the street by a villager – an old, toothless man, grinning so widely at them both Sakura could see his gums all the way to the back. At first, she was surprised, but remembered that the Kazekage of the village was standing next to her. The sudden thought that the leader of the Hidden Sand was taking her for dinner – it made her face flush and she had to glance down at her toes. She was sure there were plenty of women who'd love to be in her place.

The man spoke in mumbles that were barely coherent. "Kazekage-sama! Are ye comin' to the festival next week? I'll bet the young ladies're linin' up to be yer date!"

Gaara, surprisingly, looked rather flustered. "E-Erm, well – I… I don't think…"

The old man was unyielding. "Don't tell me yer gonna hide away in that office o' yers!"

The red-head looked so nervous, so cornered, that Sakura couldn't help but hide a giggle behind her hand. Then realization hit her: festival? What festival was the old man talking about? She made the decision to ask Gaara about it, but first, she needed to save him from the villager's amusing harassment. Once again, she fell back on old reliable: a smile. With surprising confidence, the pinkette took Gaara's arm and pulled him closer, giving the old man a cheeky grin. "I'm his date, so don't worry!"

The old man looked between them, his beady eyes analyzing, before a smile crooked his lips. "Wise choice, Kazekage-sama!" he chortled. "I better see yer two at the festival then! Otherwise, I might have ter find ye a date meself!"

With a laugh, the old man hobbled away, and Sakura waited until he was gone before she let the red-head go quickly. "I-I'm sorry about that," she apologized, giving him an awkward smile. "You just looked like…"

"… Like I needed help?" his gaze was intense, and Sakura faltered, her eyes averting. When she glanced back up, she found a small, yet serene smile on his face. "Thank you."

They continued walking. "What festival was he talking about?" she questioned.

"It's a festival held every year to honor the desert spirits," he answered, his gaze straight ahead. Several different villagers stopped them to greet Gaara, but other than that, their progress down the street wasn't hindered. "I don't usually go… Actually, I've… never gone."

His eyes grew sober and Sakura resisted the urge to reach out and comfort him. Instead, she racked her brain for ways to help. Finally, her face lit up. "Why don't we go, then?" she proposed. Realizing what she was insinuating, her face flushed. "I-I mean, we don't have to go as… a date, or anything. I-I just mean we could –"

"Gaara-samaaaa~!"

They were stopped yet again; but this time, two girls raced up to them with hearts in their eyes. The two practically fell over themselves trying to get close to Gaara, who once again looked flustered. "Gaara-sama, do you have a date for the festival yet?" one asked, clasping her hands together hopefully.

"No way! I was gonna ask him first!" the other insisted, trying to shove her friend aside. Gaara looked at the two like a cornered animal, backing up one step, then two. The girls were so busy arguing with each other that they hardly noticed his attempt to escape.

But Sakura was surprised to feel herself getting increasingly irritated – who the hell were these two idiots falling all over themselves when it was clear he wasn't interested? Again, Sakura felt the urge to save him from these bimbos, but she wasn't sure how Gaara would react to her claiming to be his date for a second time. She looked between Gaara and the two fangirls, at a loss, and finally, the two girls' argument increased and they began fighting. Gaara wisely took the chance to get away and discreetly side-stepped them, rejoining Sakura. They hurried away, and only when the pair was a safe distance away did they slow down. Gaara looked frazzled and it showed in the narrowing of his eyes and the furrowing of his brow line. "That's why I never leave my office," he grumbled.

A moment of silence followed before Sakura began laughing. First it was a soft, bubbling laughter but then it grew to bellows that made her clench her stomach. She had to gasp for air amidst her chortles, and only when she calmed down somewhat could she look at Gaara. What she saw made her heart swell:

He was laughing too.

XXX

The week flew by; ever since her dinner with Gaara, Sakura's mood had lifted considerably. Although she hadn't seen or spoken to Kankuro the whole time, his and his absence hurt, it was made a little bit better the times when Gaara had the time to join her again. She'd had dinner with the red-head three more times that week, and each time she got to know him a little bit better. And it really was amazing just how much he'd changed… Gaara was… well, a good person. Naruto had been right to have faith in him.

The night before, when Gaara had joined her at the dumpling shop for dinner, she'd brought up the festival once more – and to her surprise, he agreed to go. With her. The thought of being the Kazekage's date and dancing with him in front of the whole village brought a blush to her cheeks. But somehow… that thought wasn't nearly as flattering as the fact that she was _Gaara's_ date.

Finally, the day of the festival came, and she went to the small closet in her room to pull out the lovely kimono she'd purchased the night before. It was a forest green with a white trim, form fitting and ending at her ankles. As she put on the kimono and set to work on her hair in front of the mirror near her bed, Sakura wondered if Kankuro would be attending the festival. What if he didn't show up?

Or worse… What if he did show up… with a date?

The thought made her insides burn and she clenched the comb in her hand so hard that it snapped in half. With a frustrated sigh the pinkette threw the broken pieces down on the small vanity table and walked away from the mirror. It was up in a loose bun; that would have to do. Trying to calm herself down, Sakura grabbed her small wallet and left the room, her sandals scuffling against the floor as she took delicate steps. She was used to the mobility and comfort of ninja sandals; these wooden ones would take some getting used to.

Gaara met her at the foot of the stairs and the look in his eyes made her blush self-consciously. While he said nothing about her kimono at first, the sudden flush of his cheeks and the widening of his eyes said it all. They left the mansion in silence; immediately the smell of food and sounds and lights flooded Sakura's senses and excitement replaced her earlier jealousy. Her green eyes lit up with joy and it took all she had not to race forward into the streets. Instead she patiently walked alongside the red-head, who hadn't dressed up for the occasion with the exception of running a comb through his wild red hair. His voice broke her gaze from the carts lining the road and the villagers bustling through the decorated street. "Thank you for coming with me."

She glanced up at him and a smile curled her lips. "Don't thank me. I think we're going to have fun."

He heaved a sigh. "I don't know. I don't leave my office for a good reason… The women… They don't leave me alone."

Sakura smirked, a new fire in her eyes. "Don't worry about that. I'll make sure that doesn't happen. And we'll have lots of fun if I have anything to say about it!"

Arriving at the festival, the pair browsed a few carts, politely greeting every villager that approached them. Of course Gaara was approached by several girls throughout the night, asking him to dance or be their date, but Sakura dismissed them with a forced smile, her arm curling around his as she tugged him close, bringing an embarrassed flush to his cheeks.

And just like Sakura had promised, they did indeed have fun. They tried all different kinds of foods from the different vendors, bought matching festival masks, participated in many game booths, and she even got him to dance with her.. once. Sakura was all smiles and laughs – until later in the night… when she saw Kankuro. He was on the dance floor, wearing a dashing black outfit, dancing with much more energy with Gaara had. And Sakura's earlier fear had been confirmed: he was dancing with a girl. She had plain brown hair and matching eyes, but she looked very lively and happy to be with him. And… he looked happy too. Whether it was because of her or because he was simply having a good time, Sakura didn't know, but the sight instantly soured her mood.

Coming back from a dessert vendor, Gaara stopped next to her and followed her gaze. "I thought he might show up," the red-head commented softly, handing her a cotton candy cone without looking away from the dance floor. "I'm glad he's enjoying himself."

Sakura didn't respond. She was too overcome with a mystifying anger to say anything. After a long moment of silence, Gaara glanced down at her, his expression unreadable. "You look upset."

Sakura finally tore her gaze away from the scene and looked up at her date, suddenly feeling terrible for her behavior. She frowned. "I-I'm sorry. No, no, I'm fine." She forced a smile. "Thanks for the cotton candy. How did you know it was my favorite?"

"I didn't." Gaara shrugged. "You said you haven't seen my brother all week… did you want to say hello to him?"

"No," Sakura responded, a bitterness in her tone that she hadn't intended. With a soft sigh, she looked down at her treat. "I'm really sorry, Gaara… I'm glad to be here with you. I really am."

His lips curled into a hint of a smile as he met her eyes, and suddenly, she felt a little better.

XXX

The end of the night was drawing near, and Gaara had unwillingly gotten into a conversation with a middle-aged villager about inter-village politics. Sakura had been waiting patiently on him, munching on a dessert he'd gotten for her, when a shadow from behind blocked out the lights overhead. Turning defensively, the kunoichi prepared to attack, then hesitated when she saw the familiar face. A flurry of emotions passed through her, and finally her face contorted into an angry expression, her eyes darkening and her brows furrowing. "Having fun?" she demanded, sounding even snottier than she'd intended.

Kankuro's brows raised, a frown on his lips. He was bare-faced and dressed casually, but looked very nice. "Still angry at me? After a week? I don't even know what I did."

She growled and looked away, not knowing what to say. Because really, why _was_ she angry at him? And was this really about him – or herself? Sakura had sworn she'd wait on Sasuke Uchiha forever. She'd loved that man since they were little. She'd known from the moment she'd laid eyes on him that there was no one else for her. He would be the man she married. But then he'd turned on her – and everyone else. And after years of trying to get him back, she'd finally succeeded… only for him to make her wait again. After that, she'd given up. She'd been so angry at him that she'd refused to even say goodbye when he left to "atone for his sins." What kind of bullshit excuse was that?

She'd been so preoccupied with her thoughts that she hadn't even noticed that she'd crushed the bag of chocolates in her hand. She felt a hand on her's and she jerked her head up to meet Kankuro's gaze. "Hey, what's going on?" he asked, concern radiating from his eyes.

"It's none of your business," Sakura snapped, but didn't move her hand. "Look, is there any reason you're talking to me…?"

Kankuro moved his hand away, shoving it into his pocket. "Sorry to bother you. Look, I just wanted to run something by you and haven't seen you until now. You mentioned something last week about two interns in your class, and I didn't recognize the names? Yeah, well I looked into it, and there are no ninja registration numbers attached to those names. I don't know if they're new transfers and haven't been added to our systems yet, or what, but…" Kankuro's expression was serious, almost grim. "Be careful. And even if you don't want to see me anymore… Please tell Gaara, or someone, about this. If anything out of the ordinary happens, _please,_ tell someone."

Sakura bit her lip. What he was saying made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Not registered? What the hell was that supposed to mean? This whole situation reeked, but she was too upset to talk to Kankuro about it right then.

Sakura watched the brunette walk away, shifting uncomfortably.


	5. A Sandstorm Mirage

**_A/N: Hi everyone! Yes, this chapter is named after Gaara's Hiden novel. This story takes place during that time and is sort of an AU (obviously Sakura wasn't there during the canon novel) to that storyline. I hope you enjoy this and please, PLEASE - review!_**

 _Chapter Five: A Sandstorm Mirage_

It had been two weeks since the festival; during that time, she'd only caught glimpses of Kankuro in the village, but hadn't spoken to him. His absence was strange, and still hurt, considering Gaara couldn't devote all of his time to keeping her company. Since the festival she'd shared a meal with the red-head about twice a week, but the rest of the time, she was on her own – even though Setsuko offered to take her to lunch numerous times. Sakura remembered seeing the tanned woman at the festival – with another woman, their arms linked snugly. Although she'd briefly said hello, the encounter unnerved her. For some reason, knowing that Setsuko leaned towards women sexually made Sakura uncomfortable. It was ridiculous, of course; the Suna native had never once made a move on the pinkette, so she had no reason to feel paranoid.

The weeks passed by uneventfully – mostly. Once or twice, Sakura had checked all the files and logs at the end of the day to find that a few discreet details had changed… For instance, the file of a now-deceased patient listed her as the attending for the surgery – which wasn't true. She wasn't sure why this had happened, but she just made corrections where she could. Through the two weeks, Sakura continued lectures in the morning and overlaps in the afternoons, the schedule becoming a routine for her. She threw herself into her work to keep her mind off of her relationship problems, and it worked… sometimes.

And other times, she'd lay awake at night, unable to sleep, her mind drifting between all the men in her life. Sasuke, the man she'd loved since she was a child. The man who'd left her. Naruto, the man who'd always been there for her – but she couldn't see him as anything other than a brother, and besides, he was married to Hinata now. Kakashi-sensei, a man she'd always been attracted to in a childish way (but of course he was much too old for her and probably wasn't interested anyways). Kankuro, who made her feel at home in a foreign country and could banter with her for hours. And now Gaara, a man whom she was getting to know; and she was appreciating his company more and more each day.

During this time, the pinkette had finally begun to sort out her thoughts on these matters, and what she found frustrated her all the more.

She liked Kankuro.

Not as a friend – as something… more.

But she was also growing to like Gaara – the Kazekage of all people! Both men were completely out of her league in different ways – and they both made her heart beat faster for different reasons. How on earth could she possibly go after either one of the Sand brothers? There were too many obstacles in the way. It was ridiculous to think either one of them would be interested in a simple medic kunoichi from Konoha – she didn't come from a big family, she wasn't a leader of a village, and she had always been overshadowed by her teammates. Her qualifications were… practically nonexistent.

The more these thoughts bothered her, the darker the cloud over her head became, and while many of her students noticed, only one spoke up about it – Fushigi. They were making their rounds one day, Tetsu trailing behind, when the fuschia-haired girl prodded the pinkette's arm. "Sakura-nii! You look so glum… What's wrong?!"

Sakura glanced down at the short girl and gave her a stiff smile. "O-Oh, it's nothing. I'm alright, really."

Fushigi wasn't giving up. "We both can tell you're upset about something. Talk to us – or at least me! You might feel better!"

Sakura hesitated. They were ahead of schedule – they might even finish their rounds early… And she had no one else to talk to. Her only friends in this place were also the sources of her constant inner conflict. So after another moment of silent debate, the pinkette conceded. "Alright. After we're done, though."

So they finished their rounds quickly and Fushigi sat her mentor down in an empty room. Tetsu chose to wait outside the door – girl troubles weren't his forte, he said. After some prompting from the intern, Sakura finally laid all her romantic troubles out on the table, including everything from her feelings toward Kankuro to how much time she'd been spending with Gaara to Sasuke and how she'd waited all her life for him. It took a while to get everything out, and by the time she was done, Fushigi was half-gaping at her, her blue eyes wide and filled with shock… and a hint of… glee?

Brushing it off, Sakura waited for the girl's response. Finally, the fuschia-haired girl spoke. "Wow. That's a pickle!" With a small chuckle, she continued, "The Kazekage and his brother, huh? You picked two of the most popular guys in Suna to crush on! But my advice? Talk to Kankuro-sama. You'll never be able to choose one of them and sort out your feelings permanently if you avoid him. Oooooh~! I can see it now!" Fushigi gushed, clasping her hands together. "Gaara-sama falls in love with you – and the gallant Kazekage comes to your rescue when you get kidnapped!"

"W-When I get kidnapped?"

Fushigi froze. "I-I… I meant if you get kidnapped!" Her cheeks flushed. "I mean it's such a romantic thought~!"

Sakura let out a breath and laughed lightly, embarrassed. "I-I guess. I mean, hopefully I wouldn't need him to rescue me. I am quite a capable kunoichi! Anyways, thanks for talking with me. I – you really think I should talk to Kankuro…?"

The younger girl nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! It's the only way you'll be able to decide which one of them you really want to pursue!"

Sakura set a hand on the girl's shoulder, giving her a small smile. "Thanks."

Fushigi's blue eyes glowed. "Anything for you, Sakura-nii!"

XXX

Two weeks and a few days after the festival, Sakura exited the hospital, lungs gratefully breathing in the hot late-April air. As she lifted an arm to fan her already heated face, something caught the pinkette's eye and she paused.

Her skin wasn't pale. It wasn't tan like Setsuko's, but it was a nice warm peachy color; a few shades darker than before. Apparently all this time out in the sun in the village was tanning her. By the time she got back home, perhaps people might not even recognize her. The thought brought a small smile to her face, and she remembered the friendly banter she'd shared with Kankuro the time she'd made fun of his lack of a tan. Thinking of Kankuro made her smile fade; she still needed to speak to him like Fushigi suggested. Her thoughts shifted to Gaara – she hadn't seen him in a few days, either. Biting on her lip, the kunoichi decided she would talk to him first. Veering off to the right, she stopped into a restaurant she and Gaara had gone to last week to pick up some food.

Hauling the food along, the kunoichi made her way into the Kazekage mansion and sighed in relief – no sign of Kankuro. Trotting up the stairs, she knocked hesitantly on the door to the red-head's office – and heard his soft, raspy voice. Upon gaining permission, she entered the room, looking up and opening her mouth to speak –

Both Kankuro and Gaara stared at her.

Sakura paused in the doorway, bags on both of her arms, her eyes wider than those of a deer. There was an awkward, pregnant pause that seemed to stretch far too long; the pinkette shifted, unsure of what to say to them, and they didn't speak. Apparently they'd been talking about something and despite hearing Gaara's clear "Enter," she'd interrupted them.

"I-I can… I can wait outside," she stammered, face flushing in embarrassment. She avoided Kankuro's gaze and instead focused on the red-head beside him.

"Nah, I was just about to leave anyways," Kankuro said, shrugging his shoulders and heading for the door. Sakura quickly scurried out of the way and watched as he left. He seemed… okay. Like he was doing just fine without her. And that thought made her heart clench tightly, making her grit her teeth in pain.

Ripping her gaze away, Sakua turned to Gaara and held up the bags, forcing a cheerful smile. "I brought dinner."

"Thank you," he said, but his expression seemed almost… dark. It was obvious something was bothering him. Dismissing her own drama immediately, the pinkette set the bags on a corner of his desk and took a seat opposite him.

"What's wrong?" she demanded, her jade eyes alert.

Gaara clasped his hands together in front of his face, a flicker of amusement flashing in his green eyes. "It's nothing you need to concern yourself with," he said softly.

Her eyes narrowed indignantly. "What was it you said about bonds before?" she countered challengingly.

Gaara's lips curled into a half-smile as he conceded her point. "Alright, alright…" he paused, his smile fading. Turning in his chair, he leaned back and stared out the window at the setting sun. "… The council has requested that I…. erm, marry."

Sakura paled. "M-Marry?" she muttered.

Gaara's expression grew dark once more. "To make sure that if I or Kankuro pass away, there is an heir to the title of Kazekage."

Sakura resisted the urge to throw her chair across the room. "Why you?"

The red-head massaged his temples for a few moments before replying. "… They asked Kankuro first. He –"

Sakura jumped to her feet, and Gaara paused. His blue-green eyes stared at her, mild surprise etched across his face. The pinkette flushed in embarrassment but made no move to sit down. She was too tense now. "H-He… What did he say?" she whispered.

Gaara's brow line creased in confusion. "He said that since I was Kazekage, I should marry first. He declined."

The tension drained out of Sakura's shoulders and she let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. The thought of either one of the brothers being forced into a marriage… She was still angry, evident in the way her hands clenched into fists. "But I don't understand – " she whipped around to face the red-head, who seemed surprised by her reaction. "Last I heard, Temari is marrying Shikamaru… why isn't that good enough?"

Gaara scowled. "The Council don't want a child of Konoha to have any claim to the title."

Sakura's gaze wandered the room as she tried to process everything. This wasn't a surprising move from Suna's council; the prejudices between their villages ran deep and it would take a long time to undo it. She couldn't say any of Konoha's elders would want a Suna native to be Hokage, either. But forcing Gaara into a marriage just because of their own prejudice? "How cruel," she ground out.

Gaara's expression softened. "I will do my duty as Kazekage," he responded, his voice low. "Besides… I feel love is lost on me. I've never romanced a woman in my life. Who would love someone who used to be a… monster?"

Sakura set her hands on his desk, leaning in and looking the red-head squarely in the face. "… What if someone did? Have feelings for you?"

Gaara's eyes widened and he only stared at her. "I don't understand," he murmured. "What are you talking about?"

Sakura glanced away. She couldn't do this to him, not when she was still sorting out her own feelings… With a small cough, she amended, "I-I mean… hypothetically. Could you really force a marriage when someone out there might truly love you? When there's a chance for you to find love?"

Gaara appeared thoughtful. "… I don't know."

XXX

A couple of hours later, Sakura was heading through the secret doorway to go to her room for the night. But something Gaara had said kept bothering her. Well – really, the whole thing bothered her – but one thought in particular kept coming back to her.

Why did Kankuro decline?

He was as dedicated to his village as Gaara, Temari, or anyone else. He fought, bled, and was even willing to die for Suna. Why on earth would he turn the Council down when they asked him to marry – for Suna's sake? As much of a slacker as he appeared to be, she knew he'd never turn down a mission that was given to him.

But he'd turned down this one.

Her hand paused on the handle of the door to her room. She'd been prepared to slide it open and go inside, but – she couldn't shake it. She needed to talk to him, if only to know what was going on. Releasing her own door, she turned and went down the hallway, approaching his door. As her hand lifted to knock, she hesitated again – what would he say? Would he slam the door in her face? … Would he even answer at all?

Steeling herself, the pinkette knocked firmly, and waited. And waited. "Kankuro?" she asked softly.

No answer.

Her face fell. Perhaps he wouldn't answer after all… The kunoichi turned to leave when she heard a commotion inside the room. Whipping back around, she pressed her ear to the door to try and listen. More banging commenced. What on earth was he doing in there?

Abruptly the door opened and Sakura stumbled forward, face-planting right into – Kankuro's bare chest. Embarrassment flooded every corner of her body and the pinkette turned bright red, her expression quite comical. Kankuro's dark eyes glittered with amusement. "Strange to see you at my door, Pinky," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Strange, but not unwelcome."

Sakura didn't answer at first. She was too busy staring at him. Kankuro was shirtless, free of his purple face paint, and his hands and arms were half-covered in what looked like motor oil or grease. And holy hell, every inch of her vibrated with the sudden desire to touch him – and not for medical reasons. Resisting the heavy urge and taking a deep breath, Sakura finally glanced behind him and peered into his room. There were puppets, puppet parts, and tools covering the floor. Apparently he'd been hard at work. "I-I didn't mean to interrupt," she said, avoiding his gaze.

"Nah, I was just workin' on Crow," Kankuro replied. "Err, everything alright?"

Sakura frowned. "I-I uh, just wanted to ask you something."

"Shoot."

She bit her lip – and the words came tumbling out. "I- … Well, why did you turn down the Council when they asked you to get married?"

Kankuro remained silent for a long moment, long enough for Sakura's face to flush all over again. "You can come in if you want," he finally said, his voice abnormally quiet, and he stepped aside to allow her entrance to his room. Sakura stepped inside, and the first thing she did was look around. She'd never seen his room before, and she could say with absolute delight that every inch of it reeked of Kankuro. Puppets, ninja tools, and various scrolls lined the walls, the floor was covered with his recent work, and the large bed in the corner was messy and unmade. While the pinkette liked the keep things clean, there was something about his messy room that reminded her of him and made her eyes shine.

"Want a drink?"

Sakura nearly jumped. "A-Ahh, I'm okay," she declined, continuing to look around. Something on the wall drew her gaze and she instinctively headed toward it. Displayed on the wall was a puppet; it had a humanoid figure with long dark hair and soulless black eyes. It seemed to be mostly for decoration, but the way it was so delicately carved, with intricate designs cut into the wood on its arms and legs, was hauntingly beautiful.

"It's gorgeous," she whispered, reaching out to brush her fingers against the wood. It was smooth and grainy beneath the digits.

"Really?" Kankuro came to stand beside her, looking up at it. "Temari finds it creepy. Although… doesn't help that she woke up one morning and found it in her bed."

Sakura grinned and continued to run her fingers down the leg of the puppet. Her arm apparently drew Kankuro's attention because his brows raised and he reached out. Touching her hand, the brunette said, "Hey, your arm. Looks like your skin is getting used to the sun."

"Maybe you should take a lesson from me," Sakura retorted, still smiling. Her green eyes flickered up to look at him, and when she met his gaze, there was a warmth there that made her knees go weak. Swallowing, she shifted her hand away and continued her tour around the room.

Kankuro leaned against the wall, folding his arms over his chest and spreading more grease along his skin. "So your question."

The pinkette glanced back at him. "Yeah. I .. I-I already asked it."

"My question is… why do you want to know?"

Sakura looked away. "Just answer it."

"Maybe I've already got my eye on someone." Kankuro's voice was cool and casual, but it sounded hollow; forced.

A lump formed in the kunoichi's throat and she swallowed it down before she spoke. Her voice came out shakier than she intended. "W-Who?"

There was a long silence. It went on so long that Sakura turned her head to glance back at the brunette, only to find him in the same position, with a grin on his face that made her heart beat a little faster. "Someone."

His enigmatic responses were frustrating her. As her face grew hot, the kunoichi clenched her fists and turned on him, her posture forceful and intimidating – to most, anyways. He didn't seem fazed in the slightest. He only cocked his head to the side, looking her over.

"W-What are you staring at?!" Sakura demanded, suddenly self-conscious with the way his eyes drank her in. She was dirty from the day's work and probably had the bodily fluids of more than one patient on her clothes.

"I'll tell you who it is if you answer something honestly," Kankuro responded, body moving off of the wall. His arms unfolded and he advanced on her, taking slow, steady steps that made her heart jump into her throat. Her eyes widened and she began backing up instinctively – until her back hit the small kitchen counter. Sakura braced herself against it, staring at Kankuro like a deer caught in headlights, until he stopped just in front of her.

He was so close she could feel the heat radiating off of his body, warming her and making her shiver at the same time. "W-What is it?" she demanded, feeling so flustered that she became defensive. Her body tensed up and she fixed the brunette with a hard stare that she hoped was intimidating.

Kankuro leaned in, his eyes roaming her face before settling on her lips. "Tell me," he said softly, a small, cocky smirk gracing his lips as his gaze lifted to her eyes, "Did you want me to kiss you that night? In front of your room?"

She froze.

What on earth was happening? Her brain practically exploded with questions and emotions, her whole body flushed and unexpectedly yearning for him. Finally her defenses kicked into gear and she looked shocked and indignant. "W-What?!" Sakura stammered. "I-I don't know what you're talking about—There's no way I would –

"Yes."

She said it before she was even aware of what she was doing. Jade eyes became half-lidded, and she gazed at him for a single second before he grabbed her by the waist and claimed her mouth in a kiss that made her head spin. Sakura didn't even have room in her overwhelmed brain to be shocked. The lightning pulsing in her body and the thunder rushing through her veins was stronger than any other reaction – she was on fire, and every enflamed nerve-ending wanted him like nothing before. There was no Gaara, there was no Sasuke, there was no conflict or drama, there was only his scent, his touch, his mouth, his tongue, his breath; there was only _him._

It was her first real kiss. And it was everything she hoped it would be. And she wasn't even upset that it wasn't Sasuke.

In fact, she would have preferred to share this with no one else.

As his strong hands touched her waist, fingers brushing over the small space of open skin between her top and her shorts, she could feel the oil smear on her skin, but she didn't care, not one bit. His mouth was still on hers, hot and demanding, and she could only let out a mewl of delight and submission as she parted her lips for him. Her first kiss was with tongue? The thought made her shiver as she pressed her body closer to his.

But Kankuro pulled away, and she didn't realize until just then how much she needed air. She took in several heavy gulps, filling her lungs, and when her eyes cracked open, she could see him gazing at her with a hunger that made her body go numb for just a moment. How insane was it that her first kiss made her want to do… so much more? "Why did you stop?" she finally asked, still breathless.

He seemed just as out of breath as she was. He took several moments to answer before he spoke, his voice husky. The rasp made something in her stomach flop. "You wanted me to answer your question… right?"

She waited, her eyes locking with his. His lips curled into a small grin and Sakura realized, delightedly, that he hadn't let her go. His next words made her breath catch.

"You, Sakura. I've got my eyes on you."


	6. The Right Person

_Chapter Six: The Right Person_

Sakura left Kankuro's room that night and headed to the bathroom, still dazed. It took a long, hot shower to finally pull her thoughts together. They hadn't really discussed much else after he made his confession, and that was how she wanted it: at least for now. She really needed to sort out all of her feelings before making any decisions regarding him or Gaara. As the hot water cascaded down her back and colored her pale skin with its heat, she let out a long sigh. Finishing up with her hair, she lathered a loofa and ran the suds over her arms, chest, and shoulders. When she reached her stomach, she looked down and saw the oil marks, almost perfectly in the shape of fingers.

His fingers.

Kankuro's fingers.

Where he'd touched her… while he was kissing her. But that was all it was; a kiss. Nothing more.

So why did she get goosebumps and an uncontrollable heat within when she thought of it? To be fair, he hadn't _just_ kissed her. He'd given her the first—and most dizzying, consuming, heated, delicious kiss she'd ever had… and probably ever would have. Would Sasuke have ever kissed her that way? Like he wanted her more than anything on the earth? Like he might die if he couldn't have her?

Would Gaara have kissed her that way?

Her thoughts went in a giant circle and came back to Kankuro. She wondered what all of this meant to him. Was it only a kiss for him? Or did he want something more out of it?

… Did he want… her? As his…. Girlfriend?

The thought was so embarrassing… and yet, so satisfying. And confusing as hell.

Sakura mulled over the same thoughts as she finished her shower, and wherever she touched, it was almost as if she could feel his hands there too.

XXX

The next morning Sakura woke and got ready quickly. She wanted to be able to eat something before heading to the hospital for the day, and despite everything that had happened the night before, she couldn't expect Kankuro to join her. Gaara had said he'd given his brother time off of missions to escort her, but surely such a valuable ninja had other duties to attend to. He couldn't be with her all the time – even if she wanted him to.

As Sakura tied her headband into her neatly-brushed hair and grabbed her lesson plans, there came a knock on the door. Grabbing her shoes and heading to the door, she opened it to see a familiar head of brown hair sitting atop a grinning face. Her own face softened but her brows furrowed in confusion.

Silence.

"W… W-What are you doing here?" she asked hesitantly, face flushing.

"You don't like breakfast anymore?"

Biting her lip, she relented and gave him a smile, slipping her shoes on and closing the door behind her.

XXX

Despite it being 7:15 in the morning, the sun was already rising in the sky and it was so damn hot that Sakura was already sweating. They walked in silence – but it wasn't as uncomfortable as she thought it would be. Sure, she was confused and wasn't sure at all what she wanted, but being around him was comforting in itself.

But like all silences, this one was eventually broken. "Do you want to talk about last night?"

She frowned at the dirt they walked on. "I don't know."

Kankuro looked straight ahead, watching the bustling villagers opening their shops and setting up stands. He walked slowly so the kunoichi beside him could keep up. "I understand. If you need time… that's cool."

A small smile curled her lips.

They grabbed a quick breakfast, along with coffee, and when he dropped her off at the hospital, they stood in the lobby. She still had a few more minutes before she needed to head to the classroom; turning to Kankuro, Sakura fixed him with a curious stare. He seemed almost bashful—very uncharacteristic of sly, confident, teasing Kankuro. "I—err, I won't be able to meet you for lunch today," he finally said, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

Her brows raised. "Uhm, it's okay."

He glanced away. "I've been promoted. We're having a meeting today."

Sakura's eyes widened more. "Promoted?" A smile found its way onto her face.

"I'm the head of the Counter-Terrorism Division. It happened a week or more ago… We weren't talking at the time, so I hadn't been able to tell you. I actually went on a mission last week; it was a success."

Sakura peered closer. Was he… blushing? Grinning with amusement, the pinkette set down her coffee, lesson plans tucked under one arm, and used her free arm to give him a tight hug. "Good job not screwing up. But really… I'm proud of you." She added genuinely. Then she frowned. "But if you're the leader of a group like that, why have you been spending so much time with me? I'm sure they could have you going on countless missions."

"It was nice to be out in the field," he admitted with a shrug. "But… remember what I said, Pinky." With that, he leaned in, brushed his lips against her cheek, and left, coffee in hand.

Sakura touched her cheek, blushing furiously. Recalling what he said the night before, her heart fluttered in her chest. _"I've got my eyes on you, Sakura."_

"Your face is red," a voice said from beside her. Sakura nearly jumped and looked over to see Setsuko smiling coyly at her. "What happened, eh?"

Pursing her lips, the pinkette stubbornly stammered, "I-It's nothing. Absolutely nothing."

But despite her refusal to admit what happened, Sakura couldn't stop smiling for the rest of the day.

XXX

Over the next few days, Sakura's schedule returned to normal – Kankuro appeared every morning, sometimes had lunch with her (he did when he could), and usually took her to dinner. Once he even ordered some food to go and brought it to her room to share. The two grew incredibly close over that time and despite her still conflicting feelings, Sakura thoroughly enjoyed spending so much time with him. In the meantime, she still reported to Gaara, who seemed increasingly perturbed every time she saw him. She had wanted to ask what was bothering him, but she assumed it was this whole marriage thing. To be frank, it was bothering her too.

Damn it, couldn't she just get her head on straight? Why couldn't she just make up her damn mind? Why was this so difficult? So confusing?

While having lunch with Setsuko one day, Sakura let out a ragged sigh. The older woman looked at her curiously, silver eyes glinting. "Something bothering you?"

Sakura looked her over. She was so feminine, so put-together, so professional – sexy, even. She was a man's dream. "Who was the woman you were with? At the festival? The short one with the violet hair?"

Setsuko smiled warmly. "She's my wife."

Sakura's suspicions were confirmed – but still, she was shocked. Homosexuality existed in this world, of course, but it was usually kept under-wraps. Most people didn't openly talk about it. Trying her best to keep a straight face, Sakura blinked big green eyes and leaned in. Without thinking, she blurted, "Wife? They allow that here?"

Sakura blushed in embarrassment, but Setsuko took no offense. She laughed, a pleasant, musical sound. "We still get looks from some of the villagers. But I love her. We butt heads at times – she's stubborn as a mule, Makoto is – but we are good together. She's… good for me."

Sakura looked down at the table. "How did you know she's the one? How do you know anyone is the right person? If you're conflicted, how do you decide?"

The musical doctor used her chopsticks to push around the rice in her bowl thoughtfully, taking her time in answering. Finally, she fixed Sakura with a level look. "I believe… The right person is the person who makes you feel… at home. Sometimes the right person isn't always the "nice" person. The right person… is the person who challenges _you_ to be better."

XXX

That night, Kankuro brought over some food for dinner and as they sat in the floor of her room, surrounded by boxes of take-out and chatting away about their days, he brought up something that made her tense up. "Soooo there's a party this weekend," he said. "It's a formal thing for dignitaries in the Land of Wind. I'm officially serving there as security detail, but I won't have to stay in the same spot all night…"

Sakura poked him with her chopsticks. "Spit it out already," she demanded, eyes curious.

Kankuro looked her in the eye. "Wanna go with me?"

She flushed. "… Yes," she finally replied, smiling shyly.

He smiled too. And as she gazed at him, Sakura noticed that small wrinkles appeared in the corners of his dark eyes when he smiled widely enough, and she suddenly thought that it might be the most charming thing she'd ever seen.

Then she wondered if the same thing happened to Gaara's eyes when he smiled.

"Will Gaara be there?" she asked, trying to sound casual.

Kankuro frowned. "Yeah. Actually, the party is where the council has set him up to meet his wife-to-be."

Sakura's chopsticks snapped in half.

"Shit, are you okay?" Kankuro asked, concerned. He reached and took the broken chopsticks from her before checking her hand for splinters. His concern for her well-being made her emotional and she fought back the tears in the corners of her green eyes. After making sure she was splinter-free, the brunette held her hand in his own and met her eyes, frowning. "What's wrong?"

She couldn't respond. Trying to swallow the lump forming in her throat, she shook her head. It took several minutes for her to finally answer. "I-I just can't believe they're forcing him to marry."

"I can," he mumbled, looking down at the floor. Sakura took comfort in the fact that he still hadn't let her hand go. "But you'll come with me?"

Sakura looked back at him. "What time is it…? I leave the hospital at five and I'd have to get ready."

"It's at noon. I'm sure Gaara will give you time from the hospital if it means you can go," Kankuro assured her, before frowning. "Hey, uh… Any update on those two at the hospital? The ones that weren't in the database?"

"Fushigi and Tetsu?" Sakura frowned thoughtfully. "I haven't seen anything out of the ordinary - … well… There was one time… It was… I'm sure it was nothing."

"Tell me."

Sakura looked down at her hand, still clasped between Kankuro's. Her heart warmed at the sight, at the feeling, but she forced herself to stay focused. As she recounted what had happened that day, when the patient had been so afraid of Fushigi, Kankuro's expression grew perturbed. "That whole thing sounds fishy," he commented.

"You don't think…?" Sakura looked at him, unsure. "No, I mean… they're innocent."

"You can't be too careful," Kankuro warned. She noticed the way he squeezed her hand. "We can't bust 'em on anything yet, but if anything – and I mean _anything_ – happens, tell me immediately. I might even drop by the hospital one day."

"No no," Sakura shook her head. "That would be too suspicious."

"Not if I said I was there bringing lunch to you."

Sakura abruptly looked up, meeting his eyes. The warmth in his eyes made her tingle all over. "You'd do that for me?"

"Free food is good food, remember?"

Sakura couldn't help but laugh, but that laughter quickly died when she felt his fingers brush her hair out of her face. The pinkette flushed and eyed Kankuro, who wasn't laughing, but he was smiling, amusement dancing in his dark eyes. What really made her breath catch, though – was those fingers dancing along her jaw, her throat, before moving around to the back of her neck steadily. He pulled her in and even though she knew what was coming by now, meeting his lips was still a surprise – one that sent her whole body into a shiver. Goosebumps covered her skin and her eyes fluttered closed; he was so gentle, so careful, so thorough as he kissed her until she couldn't breathe – and not just because of a lack of air.

Her shivers began anew when his fingers on her neck brushed through her hair, stroking the pink strands with feather-light touches, and Sakura felt a fire within her that she hadn't ever felt in her life. If she wasn't careful this could go much farther than planned so reluctantly, the pinkette pulled away, sucking in a deep breath of much-needed air. The look in his eyes told her she wasn't the only one thinking about just how far they could go, and she fought hard to resist the urge to dive back in. Finally she pulled her hand away, and he let her go, though his movements were stiff, like he didn't want to.

"Let's clean up," she said seriously, but there was a nearly goofy smile on her face that just wouldn't go away.

XXX

The anticipation of the party brought about mixed feelings for Sakura. She was eager to spend more time with Kankuro – to actually be out in _public_ with him… like a date. But at the same time, the thought of Gaara being there, but with someone else, bothered her. It shouldn't. She needed to make up her damn mind. But how was she supposed to know who the _right_ person was, like Setsuko said…?

Still distracted by this, the pinkette went about her schedule like normal until the weekend came. She taught Saturday morning at the hospital like usual, but when it came time for lunch, she left for the day since it had been approved by Gaara. Kankuro couldn't be with her, because he was meeting with some other shinobi to go over the security plan, and he also wanted to speak with Gaara before the party, but he would see her there. Nervousness filled her. Would she see Gaara at all? Would she have a chance to talk to him? Perhaps if she caught him before the party…? Heading back to the Kazekage mansion, she ran as quickly as she could to the top floor and knocked on his door. Normally she would've waited for an answer but the urgency she felt in her gut couldn't wait. Opening the door, she barged inside and found his office… empty.

So he'd already left.

Feeling dejected, the pinkette carefully closed the door and went back downstairs.

Slipping on a nice red kimono that fit her perfectly, Sakura did her hair and make-up and got ready in record time. Slipping on the same uncomfortable wooden sandals she'd worn to the festival, she made her way out of the mansion and to another building – one just as wide but not nearly as high. It wasn't too far from the mansion, so if she didn't stop on the way there, she would arrive just in time. As she walked, the afternoon sun bore down on her and she cursed the heat for making her sweat. If this stupid weather ruined her make-up…

Arriving at the front door, she was invited in – apparently the guards had been told to let her in on sight. The party had already started, it seemed, and as she made her way through the crowd and politely greeted the strangers around her, she kept on the look-out for Kankuro. He was, after all, her date. Another person she hoped – and hoped not – to see was Gaara. After several minutes of wandering around, she accepted a drink from a server, still alone.

But then she was approached – by someone she hadn't expected at all to see.

Temari.

And trailing behind her… was her fiancée, Shikamaru Nara.

The sight of him, her friend, made her eyes watered and she was suddenly overcome with a homesickness so fierce that she couldn't breathe. "Temari! Shikamaru!" she greeted them, nearly spilling her drink as she grabbed the Konoha shinobi in a tight hug. After embracing her blonde friend as well, Sakura had to wipe her eyes, unable to fight the bright smile on her lips.

Shikamaru stuffed his hands in his pockets, looking like he didn't want to be there; but there was a warmth in his eyes that let Sakura know he was truly happy to see her. "You miss the village," was all he said.

She could only nod, swallowing heavily. Temari spoke next. "We are glad to see you. Did… Did Gaara invite you?"

Sakura's mind came back to the present. Up until now she'd been dreaming of going home. Flushing, she said, "N-No, aaa, Kankuro did."

Temari's brows raised in surprise. "You're his… date?"

Sakura didn't answer. Her blush was evidence enough. But the mention of Gaara brought back that earlier anxiety and she bit her lip, frowning. "Where is Kankuro? And Gaara? Has he… has he met…"

Temari's lips curled into a smile and she nodded. "They are in another room, alone. I was actually about to go check on them."

"You mean spy on them," Shikamaru countered.

"Oh shut up." She shot him a look that spelled death. Sakura was amused by their antics, but it didn't overcome the distress that had come over her. So it was too late… There was no way she could talk to Gaara now. The thought weighed heavily on her heart and she couldn't keep a smile on her face.

Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder and she glanced back to see Kankuro standing behind her. "Kankuro, did you know Shikamaru would be here?!" Sakura asked excitedly, her eyes shining. Seeing him had completely turned her attitude around.

He grinned roguishly at her. "That's part of the reason I invited you."

She was overcome with emotion for a moment. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Sakura just shot him a grateful smile. Instead of removing his hand from her shoulder, Kankuro just slid the hand across her back to rest on the opposite shoulder, his arm kind of supporting her as he moved forward to stand beside her. "I just came to tell you I'm sorry, actually," he said, looking down at her. He really did seem upset with himself. "I got called away. I'm not even sure what it's about. They just need me outside." Now he glanced at Temari. "Baki-sensei is taking my place on security detail so we won't be short a person."

Upon receiving his sister's affirmation, Kankuro turned his attention back to Sakura, his frown returning. "I really am sorry. I'll make it up to ya."

"I think a massage might suffice," she teased.

"Is that a threat or a promise?" Kankuro winked. Giving her a squeeze and a soft goodbye, he left the building.

A minute later, Temari turned to leave. "Gotta check on Gaara," she said as she began walking away.

"You mean spy on him!" Shikamaru called after her.

Temari turned back to them, but only gave him an evil glare. Instead, she turned her attention on Sakura and smirked a little. "You look good together, you and my brother," she commented before leaving.

Left alone, Sakura and Shikamaru began talking, catching up on what was happening in the Leaf and reminiscing about old times. It felt insanely good to talk with a good friend, and her homesickness was both relieved and intensified at the same time. In a way, she was glad Kankuro had had to leave because she was perfectly content with talking to Shikamaru the entire time.

And then, about half an hour later, something interrupted their conversation – in fact, the entire party came to a grinding halt.

An explosion.

XXX

"That was close," Shikamaru said, and Sakura's throat suddenly felt dry. All the party guests went into a panic and despite her own uneasiness with this new development, Sakura went into medic mode and analyzed everyone for any injuries, all while doing her best to keep the peace. While she tried to keep guests from leaving, most of the security detail left the building to investigate the explosion.

"Where is Temari? Where is Gaara? Where is Kankuro?" Sakura called out to Shikamaru who was also busy calming the panicked dignitaries.

"They can handle themselves," he assured her, but he also looked worried.

After assuring the people around her that they were safe, she began calmly evacuating them just in case danger was present. All the while, she carefully checked the surrounding area for any sign of intruders. When Shikamaru took over, Sakura looked from the party building to the smoke in the sky. She had a decision to make… Should she find Kankuro? Or check on Gaara and his date…?

Who was the _right_ person?

"Sakura," Shikamaru called from a little ways down the street. "Find out what caused that explosion. Gaara and Temari can handle themselves if something happens. I've got things covered here." At her hesitation, he barked, "Go!"

She turned and ran as fast as her wooden sandals would allow. Heading in the direction of the smoke wafting into the sky, Sakura focused so hard on the clouds that she nearly ran into someone. When they grabbed her shoulders, she lowered her wide eyes from the sky and exclaimed, "Kankuro!"

"Sakura," his voice was urgent, his dark eyes strained. "There's been an explosion…." His voice was thick and raspy with emotion. She only now noticed that his hands were trembling.

"Yeah, I was just heading there. Where is it?" she demanded.

"The hospital."


	7. You

_Chapter Seven: You_

Her knees felt weak for a few moments. The hospital? But…

"… How?" she voiced her dread aloud, a faraway look in her eyes.

Kankuro gripped her shoulders tighter. "We're still trying to find out. But a lot of files were stolen. We're still checking out all the damage, but I wanted to come and find you. I needed to make sure you're okay."

Sakura let out a deep breath, trying to keep herself calm and focused. Kankuro's grip was like an anchor, grounding her and keeping her from drifting into the smoky clouds. "I-I'm… I'm okay," she finally murmured, looking anywhere but at his face.

But her voice shook and she didn't sound okay at all.

XXX

When they arrived at the hospital, Sakura gasped at the sight. Half of it stood, on the verge of crumbling, while the rest of it lay in pieces on the ground. The fire had died down, thanks to the efforts of the surrounding shinobi, but the smoke was still wafting up into the blue sky. She could feel it in the air around her, too, and as she took a breath of it, her lungs clenched and she coughed into the sleeve of her red kimono. In the commotion her hair had come halfway undone and one of the adorning chopsticks was missing. She probably looked like hell.

And while Kankuro seemed unscathed physically, it was clear he was very distressed. Something terrible had happened in his beloved village and it was a mystery as to who'd done it and where they'd gone… and what their intent was. Sakura was positive there was something else going on here, and she'd do everything she could to help them find out… but for the moment, she decided to try and comfort Kankuro. In a simple gesture, she moved her hand and grabbed his, squeezing gently as they stared at the rubble. "What do we do first?" she asked softly.

He was silent for a long moment, but his hand gripped hers in a squeeze so tight it hurt her knuckles. Finally, he replied, "we search the wreckage. The security team has already evacuated the… survivors. Perhaps you and I can find some sort of clue that will tell us who is responsible for this and what they were after."

So after another moment of mournful silence, the two separated and moved in. Even though she wasn't dressed comfortably, Sakura expertly picked her way through the debris. For the next few hours, they worked together along with a few other dedicated ninja and searched every corner of the place, including the half that still stood. That part was a delicate operation; they had to be thorough and safe at the same time – any stray or clumsy movement could send the rest of the hospital tumbling. And while they'd have to tear down the remainder of the building, they wanted to salvage all of the working supplies and equipment first.

But while they searched every single floor of Suna's ruined hospital, they found nothing.

One thing they did learn, though; whoever did this was targeting not only Suna… but the other villages, too.

XXX

It was only after taking a hot shower and changing that Sakura felt even the slightest bit better. And even then, she felt miserable; this was a hard blow to the village and more than a few lives had been lost. And her mind kept going through the same cycle of questions; who'd done this? _Why_ had they done this? Who were they targeting? Wondering if the rest of the Sand Siblings had gained any new information, Sakura headed out of the secret hallway and up the stairs – her destination, the Kazekage's office.

Upon knocking quietly on the door, she received permission to enter and poked her head inside. The Sand Siblings were all there, speaking quietly to one another. Shikamaru stood by the window, staring out at the setting sun with a pensive expression. After finishing what he was saying, Kankuro turned to look at Sakura with a stony expression. His face looked so dark that she flinched. For a split second she wondered, panicked, if he was angry at her – but when the brunette pulled back his hood and approached her, his eyes softening, she dismissed that fear. Taking her by the shoulder, Kankuro led Sakura inside. "We were just talking about what happened," he rumbled. There was a scowl on his face. "Apparently the hospital explosion was also a diversion."

Sakura glanced up at the brunette with wide eyes, before she turned her attention on Gaara, who began to speak. "We were attacked, Hakuto and I," he murmured. It was only now that Sakura noticed he was wearing a plain shirt with bandages underneath, and it was alarming to see, considering he usually wore that intricate red outfit.

"Y-You're hurt!" Sakura felt the urge to reach out, check his wounds, but kept her hands to herself. Now wasn't the time.

"I'll be alright," he reassured her quietly.

Temari spoke next, her voice trembling with anger. "I was also attacked. Luckily I was able to get free and fight back. The attackers were puppeteers, so it's safe to assume they were from our village…. The damned traitors." The blonde slammed her fist down on Gaara's desk, her voice raising. "How could they attack their own Kazekage?! What are they planning?!"

"This was an attack to take Gaara out of the spotlight," Shikamaru broke the silence, his voice grave. "Someone wants him out of power. For someone else to take over as Kazekage."

The news was stunning, and even though these were only guesses, Shikamaru Nara was seldom wrong and any idiot knew that. "But who…?" Sakura finally voiced what they'd all been wondering.

"Who else could take up the position?" Shikamaru folded his arms over his chest. "There's only one other person here that they would want to be Kazekage."

Everyone's eyes turned on Kankuro. Gritting his teeth, the brunette raked a hand through his wild hair. "That doesn't make sense," he growled, frustrated. "Why me? Gaara is a great leader. I couldn't do any better!"

"You're a leader, Kankuro," Shikamaru interjected. "You're head of the Counter-Terrorism Division, you've bonded with the other soldiers, you're loved by your comrades in the military. Not to mention… Gaara has a past."

Silence. While his words seemed rude, Shikamaru was right and they all knew it. Finally, Sakura voiced the other question burning in her mind: "What about the hospital? It couldn't have been just a diversion. A majority of the medical files – the ones that weren't ruined, anyways – were stolen. Who did that, why did they do it, and were they working with these puppeteers?"

"That is the mystery," Gaara murmured.

After they discussed more details, Shikamaru made plans to go investigate the wreckage himself and left, escorting his fiancé out. Kankuro glanced at Sakura and she said, "I'm just going to check on Gaara's injuries. I'll be okay."

With a solemn nod, the brunette left. Only when the door closed and his footsteps faded away did Sakura approach Gaara. With a practiced hand she pulled up his shirt, freeing one arm, and began to remove the bandages. Gaara grabbed her wrist, his blue-green eyes showing a deep sadness that made her heart clench. "Hakuto tended to my injuries," he said softly.

Her eyes looked anywhere but at his. "So that's her name? Your…" she couldn't finish.

"Yes."

"Just let me check," she pleaded softly. "Please."

He released his grip, and Sakura dutifully set to work. She removed the bandage – which was expertly applied, she grudgingly admitted – and analyzed the wound. The gash she found was very nasty and surrounded by burns that covered his entire shoulder. While it was partially healed by what looked like average-level medical ninjutsu, it appeared this Hakuto woman hadn't had enough energy (or perhaps skill) to completely take care of his injury and had finished up by applying some ointment and bandages. While the Suna medic had done a good job – Sakura could do better. So without speaking, she set to work, a soothing green glow of chakra surrounding her hands. While she healed him, Sakura kept her eyes averted from his. All kinds of conflicting feelings welled up in her chest and finally she asked, "Do you like her?"

His answer was delayed. "… Yes."

"… Enough to marry her?" Her eyes lifted to meet his, finally, and her breath caught in her throat.

Gaara stared at Sakura, pursing his lips. She could see the gears turning in his head as he thought about his answer. "… I don't know."

Finally she finished, the skin as good as new; but instead of lowering, her hand simply laid on his chest, fingertips splaying out over his bare, pale skin. That contact seemed to startle Gaara, because she could feel him tense up, his jaw clenching, his eyes widening just slightly. "What are you doing?" he rasped.

"Do you remember what I asked you, before..?" Sakura averted her eyes, face flushing.

The red-head stood still as a statue, his voice weak. "… You asked me… If I could go into an arranged marriage… if there was a chance I could find true love. I still don't know the answer to that."

Sakura lifted her eyes to meet his once more. She had to know…

… was he the _right_ person?

Her free hand lifted, moving to touch Gaara's cheek gently. He nearly flinched at the contact, his eyes closing briefly. "Why are you doing this?" he whispered. While he didn't move toward her, he didn't move away, either.

She didn't answer him; instead, Sakura leaned up slowly, eyes closing…

… And her lips brushed against his. It took a few long moments, but eventually Gaara responded in kind, his lips soft, hesitant. It was clear he wasn't experienced; this might even be his first kiss… But his hands went up to her shoulders, touching them, running his hands down her arms slowly. Goosebumps appeared on her flesh, and she deepened the kiss, leaning into him –

-until his hands moved back up to her shoulders and firmly moved her back, breaking the kiss. She stared up at him, dazed, thumb running over his cheek. "Wha…"

"I can't. I'm… I might be getting married to this woman. Even if it's an arranged marriage… This is wrong."

"But why force yourself to marry someone you might not love?" Sakura protested.

Gaara was still gripping her shoulders tightly, his voice strained. "… I have a duty to my village, Sakura."

Before she could reply, the door burst open and Baki, Gaara's former sensei, looked at them urgently. It was clear he figured he'd interrupted something, but this was too important to wait.

"Gaara, Lady Hakuto has been kidnapped."

XXX

After receiving the terrible news, Gaara had asked Sakura to notify Kankuro that he was leaving and to act in his place should anything happen. She'd known better than to ask him not to go; there was no stopping him. As the pinkette hurried downstairs, her thoughts turned to what had just happened. Her heart went into her stomach; Gaara had made it clear that there was no chance. He was going to put his village first. He was going to put Hakuto first.

But Kankuro… he'd turned it down. For her. It seemed that while everyone around her – Naruto, Kakashi, Sasuke, now Gaara – put their own careers, their respective villages before her, Kankuro had been the first and only one to make a sacrifice for her. He'd put _her_ first. She knew how much he loved Suna and… he'd chosen her. She admired that kind of selfless love… and desperately hoped that she could learn to be that kind.

Suddenly, it all seemed so clear. How could she have even thought of kissing Gaara…? How could she have doubted Kankuro, even for a second…?

Her trot turned into a run and she couldn't get into that secret hallway fast enough. Sakura banged on his door as she came skidding to a halt. "Kankuro!" she called urgently, her heart hammering in her chest. She felt like she was about to burst if he didn't answer fast enough…

He threw open the door, his eyes droopy and his hair disheveled in the most adorable way imaginable. It was clear he'd been sleeping – or trying to. "Sakura…? Wha…"

"You're the right person," she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck. With a fierceness she didn't know she had, she kissed him, and it only took a moment for Kankuro to come to his senses and wrap his arms around her. His lips responded almost immediately, his mouth hungry and demanding, and the brunette pulled her inside, slamming the door shut behind her with one hand. Then in an unexpected move, Kankuro grabbed her and lifted her up; instinctively Sakura wrapped her legs around his waist and he carried her over to his kitchen counter, all the while kissing her in a way that left her breathless.

Kissing Gaara had been nice. Really nice. But… how could it even compare to this? Kankuro was everything; he flooded her senses. She was consumed by him as he kissed her, touched her, made her entire body tingle with a desire she hadn't known was possible.

A shiver rolled down her spine as one of Kankuro's hands moved up her back, fingers curling into her hair, tangling in the pink strands. And then he shoved his tongue into her mouth, something she'd been thinking about constantly since the last time it had happened, and she'd unwittingly let out a hum of pleasure, the sound vibrating through her whole body.

This caused Kankuro to pull away from the kiss, gazing at her with hazy dark eyes. "Damn, that's sexy," he rasped, his grip on her tightening.

Sakura's stomach clenched and a heat filled her, a heat so intense and sudden that it was painful. She stared at him, her breathing ragged; she'd never gone all the way before… Did she want to go further?

"Do you want to stop?" His breath tickled her chin as he looked at her, conflict in his eyes; the lust was certainly there, but it was mixed with uncertainty. Caution.

His concern made Sakura bite her lip. She wanted him so badly she couldn't stand it. But wasn't there something she needed to do…? Hadn't there been something she'd come to tell him?

Her eyes widened. "Oh God," she groaned, putting a hand to her forehead. Dread filled her stomach, replacing the desire that had pooled there. "Gaara… He told me to tell you as soon as possible… I… I'm so sorry, I…" Sakura looked up at Kankuro, frowning. "He left. His bride to be was kidnapped, so he left to rescue her."

"Damn it!" Kankuro cursed, letting her go and turning away. His shoulders rigid, the brunette set about dressing and grabbing things to put in a back-pack. Hopping off the counter, Sakura went to touch his arm, but he gave her a wary look.

"He didn't want you going after him," she insisted. "He said he needed to go alone, Kankuro… Plus, he said you needed to be here to act in his place should anything go wrong."

Kankuro threw his hands up. "Here we go again with this Kazekage business! Look, I don't have time for this – I've got to find my brother. He could be long gone by now; thanks for telling me." The last part of his statement was tinged with bitterness.

Sakura paused, her heart sinking. She felt terrible for not telling him sooner… She'd gotten so caught up I her newfound decision and the feelings she had for him – she'd been entirely unprofessional, selfish, and stupid.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

He didn't speak. Instead, Kankuro finished packing his things, including several scrolls containing his battle puppets, and walked out the door.

He didn't even look back.

XXX

A few long, silent moments passed. Sakura stood there, her heart beating out of her chest, as she decided what she should do. Should she go back to her room? Go tell Temari?

No… she needed to follow him.

So she did. Sakura raced out of the room and into the hallway—but he'd already disappeared. With a curse, the pinkette flew down the hallway and out of the secret doorway – so distracted by her need to catch him that she left it wide open.

XXX

"Kankuro!"

To her relief, he stopped. But instead of answering, he simply looked back at her with narrowed eyes. Catching up to him, Sakura gulped in much-needed air and frowned apologetically. "Please," she pleaded. "I'm so sorry. I really meant to tell you."

"It's just that making out with me was more important than letting me know my brother went to fight off a bunch of terrorists by himself. You're a real piece of work, Pinky."

Her hands clenched into fists. "You know that's not true! I just – I realized something and I – " Unable to put her feelings into words, Sakura grit her teeth in frustration. Finding Gaara and his future wife was more important right now, anyways. "Please. Let me come with you, then."

"Kankuro-sama!" a voice called in the darkness. The pair turned to see a group of young men and women, probably in their early teens, approaching them.

"What is it, Jiro?" Kankuro asked the boy who spoke.

Jiro glanced warily at Sakura before lowering his voice. "We need you to come with us, sir. It's urgent. It's about the Kazekage."

Kankuro nodded at him, before turning his attention back to Sakura. "Look. Stay put, Pinky. I don't want you getting hurt. I've got enough people to rescue today."

Sakura furrowed her brows, beginning to protest stubbornly. "But Kank –"

"I mean it. Stay _put."_ Then his dark eyes softened and Sakura could no longer see the bitterness they held earlier. "I don't want to lose you."

Sakura bit her lip and watched him join the group. As they left, she turned back and entered the Kazekage mansion, conflicted. How could she stay put when so much was happening? Gaara was in danger. Sure, he was more than capable in a fight, but she didn't know what he was up against. And just as Kankuro didn't want to lose her… Sakura didn't want to lose him, either. The thought of something happening to him out there… It was painful to think about.

Entering the mansion, Sakura turned to the right to enter the secret hallway and paused. Had – had the door been open this whole time? Had she really been so stupid? What if someone had gotten in? Suddenly extremely cautious, Sakura crept into the hallway, silent as a mouse. She put up her fists defensively, ready for an intruder to pop out at her at any moment – but no one appeared. Finally, she opened the door to her room –

-and there was…

"Fushigi?"

The short girl twirled a lock of fuschia hair around her finger, eyeing Sakura as a grin split her lips. "Hello, Sakura-nii."


	8. Divide

_Chapter Eight: Divide_

Sakura's fists lowered to her sides slowly; this was an incredible surprise. "What are you doing here this late at night?" she asked, concerned. "It's dangerous right now; there are terrorists at large… You must've seen what happened to the hospital."

"Oh, I know what happened," the girl replied nonchalantly. She didn't seem bothered at all by this whole situation. The hairs on the back of Sakura's neck stood up and she backed up one step, her shoulders tense. Fushigi hopped off of Sakura's bed and advanced a few steps, her blue eyes gleaming in a predatory way.

Suddenly Sakura remembered all of Kankuro's warnings and wished desperately that she'd heeded them. As Fushigi stood there in Sakura's room, smiling smugly, another pieces of the puzzle clicked into place. "You," Sakura gasped. "You blew up the hospital."

"Smart cookie," Fushigi chirped, taking a few steps closer.

Sakura continued her retreat, her eyes never leaving her enemy. "Why?!" She demanded."Is… Is Tetsu in on it too? What did you do with all those medical files? Are you working with the terrorists who attacked Gaara?" Her body was shaking with anger. "What is your game, Fushigi?!"

"Now now, I can't reveal our plans just yet," the short girl chided, her eyes gleaming hungrily. "Not until we're about to kill you."

Sakura grit her teeth. "I knew there was something off about you," she hissed.

Fushigi waved a hand dismissively. "Oh please. You didn't have a clue. You even cried to me about your boy troubles! Who did you end up choosing, by the way? So I know who to blame for your gruesome murder."

Sakura's jaw tightened. This had to end, here and now – she didn't have much chakra and all of her ninja tools were in her pack in the corner of the room… But she did have her fists.

That was all she needed.

Without hesitating for even a second, Sakura flew in at her enemy, fists swinging – but Fushigi was fast, agile. She expertly dodged Sakura's attacks and cartwheeled around her, fleeing the room.

Sakura pursued the girl, her blood pumping, her hands tightened into fists of rage – _WHACK._ The pinkette was unexpectedly clotheslined as she went through the doorway, knocked flatly to the ground.

Looking up with swimming vision, Sakura saw Tetsu hovering over her. Why hadn't she seen him coming…? Was she really that weak of a ninja that she couldn't anticipate his arrival…?

"Hello, Sakura," he said with a deceptively kind smile, raising his foot in preparation to stomp.

Everything went black.

XXX

 _The rooftop of the Kazekage mansion was spacious and provided a beautiful view of the village – which was brightest right now, at sunset, rather than in the middle of the day. No matter how many times she looked out at Sungakure no Sato, its beauty never faded, not even a little bit. But what was she doing up here? What happened to Fushigi? Tetsu? Kankuro?_

 _Hearing a soft cooing sound, Sakura looked down at saw that it was coming from the baby currently nestled in her arms. With messy brown hair and bright, inquisitive green eyes, the baby boy was absolutely precious – and someone she'd never seen before in her life._

 _But somehow… she knew exactly who he was._

 _He was her child._

 _A hand touched her shoulder and she looked up to see a familiar – yet unfamiliar – sight._

 _Kankuro grinned roguishly down at her – but he was wearing something she'd only ever seen Gaara in. The Kazekage robes fit him perfectly, the wide-rimmed hat shading his face from the setting sun. He was certainly a sight; as attractive as ever in his own devilish way. She smiled widely at him – she knew immediately that he was the father of the child in her arms. "Hello handsome," Sakura said softly. Her curiosity got the better of her, though, and using her free hand to tug on his sleeve, she asked, "What is this?"_

" _It's great shade from the sun," he replied with a (mostly) straight face._

 _She knew he was teasing her and with a light punch to his arm, Sakura grinned in amusement. "No, seriously," she insisted._

" _I wear these robes every day, Sakura. I'm required to, remember?" He raised a brow at her before moving a hand to scratch lightly at his back. "They are kinda itchy though."_

" _Wait… You're… Kazekage?" Her eyes widened._

" _Are you okay, Pinky?" Kankuro asked, using the same nickname for her he'd used since the ninja war. His brows furrowed, as if he had no idea what she was talking about. That made the whole situation unsettling._

" _Where is… Where is Gaara?"_

 _Kankuro's expression changed completely. His brows drew in and he grimaced, almost as if he was in pain. Turning towards the railings, he set his hands firmly on them and looked out at the glowing village. "He's dead… Has been for years."_

 _Sakura's face paled. The baby in her arms began to cry, but the pinkette was too distraught to comfort him. "B-But…_ what?" _Her breathing was ragged, her heart hammering in her chest, sinking lower and lower. Gaara… dead? What the hell happened? "How?" she croaked._

 _The brunette's eyes went cold and his hands gripped the rails so tightly his knuckles turned white. "You know what happened," he hissed. "I killed him."_

 _Sakura nearly dropped the baby. Probably would have if his crying hadn't reminded her he was there. Her blood went cold and there was a long silence before she could gather her wits enough to speak. "… What?" Sakura's voice was a whisper. "Why?"_

" _Because he tried to take you from me."_

XXX

She awoke with a scream. Cold sweat ran down her forehead and her skin felt clammy. "Poor Sakura," a grating voice taunted. "Had a nightmare about your two boyfriends?"

Sakura looked around, trying to focus on the owner of the voice, but it was too dark to see much of anything. "How did you know that?" she tried to sound tough, but her voice came out as a whimper. The remnants of her vivid nightmare still lingered in the back of her mind.

"Fushigi can invade and manipulate dreams," another voice said. "If the person is weak enough, she can also access thoughts and memories. It can be a very useful skill."

"Tetsu…" Sakura's heart sank. She'd thought he was so kind, so humble… She hated being wrong. "I liked you," the pinkette said bitterly. "It's too bad you turned out to be a lying sack of shit."

There was a long silence. Then, "It's terribly sad we have to sacrifice the life of such a brilliant medical ninja in order to change and unite the ninja world."

Sakura looked in the direction of Tetsu's voice. "Unite the – …" Another piece of the puzzle clicked into place.

"You're Madara sympathizers."

"That makes us sound like loons," Tetsu replied calmly. "We prefer to say that we believe the ninja world… doesn't work."

"So you're Madara sympathizers."

Tetsu's voice was tight, carefully constrained. It was clear she was getting under his skin. "Call us whatever you want. That doesn't change the fact that we've been met with brilliant success so far… Senkai will be pleased." His voice lowered; there was a hint of reverence there. "Our plans are moving along quickly."

"What… What's next?" Sakura asked hesitantly.

"We're not stupid," was Tetsu's simple reply.

A sudden wave of dizziness overcame her following a wave of agony and Sakura leaned over, throwing up heavily. All the food she'd eaten at the party came back up, half-digested and smelling sour. "Ew," Fushigi complained from Sakura's left.

"At least tell me where we are," the pinkette finally rasped, her throat feeling raw. She wiped her mouth on her sleeve, wishing desperately for water. She didn't think her captors were feeling too generous, though.

"A cave built just outside the village," Fushigi chirped. Obviously they saw no harm in telling her this bit of information. "It was originally made as a shelter from the sandstorms, but since we arrived here, it's been home sweet home!"

"Light a fire or something," Sakura croaked. "It's too dark."

"What, so you can figure out a way to escape?" Fushigi clucked, reprimanding her. "Tetsu-kun already told you; we're not stupid."

"So why ar you waiting?" Sakura snapped. That nasty temper reared its ugly head and she fixed (what she thought was) Fushigi with a fierce glare. "Just kill me and get it over with!"

"We're waiting on someone," Tetsu said evenly.

"Who?"

"Someone."

The kunoichi mentally cursed. They really weren't budging… How was she supposed to find a way out of this when she couldn't get any fucking information out of them? "How long do we have to wait?" she persisted.

"You're really that eager to die?" Fushigi giggled.

The pinkette fell silent. Waiting, huh? If there was no other choice… then she would wait. While they bade their time, Sakura analyzed her surroundings the best she could without her vision. Was there any chance of escape? Her hands and feet were bound. The only source of light was the moon half shining on the entrance of the cave – but she and her captors were all deeper inside where it was as black as pitch. She had no idea of Fushigi and Tetsu's proximity or if they were able to see any better than herself.

Was she really out of options…?

Time passed, and Sakura had no idea how long they sat there in silence before shadows fell over the entrance to the cave. Two figures came inside and Sakura's kidnappers met them halfway. "We spoke to Lord Kankuro," one of the two intruders said softly. He sounded young – like he'd just hit puberty. "We explained the plan to him."

"Kankuro?" Hearing his name caused Sakura to struggle vehemently against the chains on her arms and legs. "What plan? What plan, you bastards?!"

"Shut up," Fushigi hissed back at her.

"Who is that?" the boy asked hesitantly.

"No one."

"He agreed," the prepubescent boy continued excitedly. "As long as there is no bloodshed – he agreed to be the new Kazekage! Gaara-sama will be forced to step down and Lord Kankuro will take his place."

Sakura's face paled. Was she dreaming again? This sound much too similar to the nightmare she'd had earlier… Hearing her blood thundering in her ears, the pinkette tried to make sense of everything – but she couldn't. "NO!" she roared. "I swear, if any of you hurt him or force him into anything, or do anything to harm this village, I swear I'll –"

"Do what? You'll do what?!" Fushigi snarled. "You're helpless, _Pinky._ You're gonna sit there as we finish up here and then you're going to die!"

"For the sake of world peace," Tetsu added.

"Do you know how hypocritical you two sound?" Sakura growled. "Murdering – blowing up hospitals – for the sake of _peace?"_

"I'm sorry that you don't share our vision," Tetsu replied in a deceptively calm voice. Turning to their contacts, his expression remained neutral. "As for you; you've done well. But you've got one more part to play."

"Thank you;" the other young shinobi exclaimed; she was female. "Thank you for helping us bring Lord Kankuro to power. Suna will soon become –"

"—No," Tetsu interrupted. "We helped you help us, nothing more. It's time to bring _our_ plan to fruition… Your petty little political games will be pointless in the long run."

"But – guh!"

Right before Sakura's eyes, the young Suna kunoichi fell and blood pooled in the dirt around her. Her body shook, twitched a few times, and fell still. Sakura stifled her gasp by biting her lip and fought back the bile rising in the back of her throat.

Tetsu turned to the other one, a bloody kunai in his hand. "You're coming with us," he ordered. "Try to resist and I'll kill you."

The boy might've been a ninja but he was still young. The fear in his eyes was evident. Sakura could practically see him shaking even in the dim light. He nodded, lifting up his hands in surrender; the pitiless murder of his comrade had him shaken. "What are you going to do?!" Sakura demanded angrily.

"Maybe we'll tell you as you die," Fushigi replied nonchalantly. Taking some rope out of the bag on her back, the short rogue kunoichi tied the Suna boy's hands behind his back and gave him a shove; meanwhile, Tetsu approached Sakura and hauled her none-too gently to her feet. The pinkette noticed his hand on her back as he guided her out of the cave; careful, gentle, almost kind. He followed Fushigi outside and Sakura's vision was suddenly flooded with light – even moonlight was bright compared to the inky blackness of the cave.

"I thought we were friends, Tetsu," Sakura whispered as they followed Fushigi's lead.

Tetsu continued to stare straight ahead. His face was expressionless but his voice was tinged with sadness. "I truly do hate that you have to die, Sakura. I wish it were someone else instead."

"But… why me?"

Tetsu finally looked at her, confused. "Because you're from Konoha, of course," he said as if she should've known. Sakura fell silent and remained that way for the rest of the trip; she was deep in thought, analyzing Tetsu's words and comparing them with everything that had happened so far.

The last piece of the puzzle clicked into place.

The realization was horrifying and Sakura found it nearly impossible to keep her composure from crumbling as she walked alongside Tetsu. She had to be smart about this; telling them now would only result in her gruesome death without any way for her to warn Suna about their plans.

Soon enough, the village appeared in the distance – knowing they were heading in that direction was reassuring. The group stopped, maybe about half a mile from the village walls, and Fushigi shoved the Suna ninja to the ground. The wind picked up, blowing sand into Sakura's eyes. "You're going to kill him," she exclaimed, trying to shield her eyes in her shoulder. "And you're going to frame me! And despite your sloppiness, Suna is going to believe you because of their prejudice. The peace between the villages will break, the alliance will dissolve, and the ninja world will be chaos."

"Prejudice is such an easy thing to manipulate, isn't it, Sakura?" Fushigi taunted, a smirk on her lips. "Like that patient from the hospital…? His prejudice offended you so much that you purposely botched his surgery… which ended up killing him."

Sakura's brows furrowed. "What are you talking about – I never –"

"But we have proof," Fushigi interrupted sweetly, "which we've delivered to our accomplice on the Suna council."

"The medical files," Sakura gasped, her heart plummeting into her stomach. "So… So that's where they went…"

"Not just files. Videos too." Fushigi grinned so wide Sakura could see her teeth. "So when they show this proof to Konoha, the fighting will ensue."

Motioning to the tied up young ninja near him, Tetsu added, "the Suna extremists believe that Kankuro's military rise to power will give them the advantage over the Leaf and stir the rest of the village into action. They'll be the leading military power in the nations; no one will challenge them. Everyone will fear them."

"Kankuro would never risk the peace," Sakura spat. "He's a much better person than that. There's no way he would agree to something like this!"

The young captive beside Fushigi had been silent until now, presumably too shaken by his friend's death to add to the chilling conversation. But now he spoke up, his voice quivering, "Lord Kankuro agreed to be the Kazekage, there's no doubt about it… I heard him myself."

"Then he was _lying!"_ Sakura cried.

"Maybe so, but I'm fairly sure no one ever told him of our plans," Tetsu responded calmly. "In fact, no one, not even our contact on the Suna council, knows of our true goals. They don't know they're just pawns in a much greater game."

"You've admitted to everything," Sakura murmured, still reeling. "You've told me your plans. Why risk that…?"

His response chilled her blood. Tetsu looked off into the distance, seeming to recognize something, before gesturing to Fushigi. She nodded and he turned his gaze on Sakura. "Because you're about to die," he said softly. "And even if you survive – who would believe you?"

With wide eyes Sakura followed Tetsu's gaze and saw figures in the distance, presumably heading in their direction. Everything happened so fast that Sakura had no time to react. Her binds were cut. The young Suna ninja was cut down with a kunai, which was then thrown onto the sand at Sakura's feet.

"NO!" she screamed, lunging at Tetsu. He smoothly dodged her attack and fled with Fushigi. Sakura had two choices, then: save the young ninja or chase the villains.

With the distant figures getting closer, Sakura threw herself at the young shinobi's still body and rolled him over. Blood covered her hands as she fumbled around for a pulse. "No," she whispered. Green medical chakra surrounded her hands and she hovered them over his body in a desperate attempt that she knew wouldn't work. And despite her working furiously for several minutes, the boy's status didn't change. He didn't move. Didn't blink. Didn't breathe.

"NO!" Sakura repeated louder, banging a fist on the boy's still chest. "Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!"

He was dead. All the medical ninjutsu in the world couldn't help the poor boy now… he'd bled out, helpless, in the middle of the desert.

Sakura did something she hadn't done in quite some time: she began to cry. This boy was dead, and she would be blamed. And Tetsu was right – who on earth would believe her…?

She looked up at the night sky, wiping her face with her shirt and sniffling. What… what would Kankuro think? She knew he had feelings for her, but he was also utterly dedicated to his village. If there was proof – fabricated or not – that Sakura had betrayed Suna… he'd never forgive her.

For some reason, Sakura's mind went to Sasuke. He'd committed heinous crimes against the Leaf – a village she and her friends loved dearly and would give their lives to protect. But… despite that… they'd forgiven him. They'd welcomed him back into the fold and after a short sentence in prison, he'd been allowed back into the homes and hearts of those he'd betrayed, as if he'd never left.

If he'd found redemption… couldn't she?

Sakura took a deep breath. She had to have faith.

XXX

Five figures approached the scene, kicking up dust in their wake. Finally able to discern their identities, Sakura recognized the leader –

"Kankuro!" she cried, her voice cracking. The pinkette wanted nothing more than to fall into his arms and forget this nightmare ever happened. Still on her knees over the boy's dead body, she looked up at Kankuro, who came skidding to a stop, four of his subordinates halting behind him. Her eyes were already filled with tears and instead of speaking first, Sakura decided to wait and see what he knew.

The brunette had his hood up, purple war-paint on his face. His dark eyes scanned the scene, moving from the kunai on the ground to the body to Sakura's tear-stained face to her blood-covered hands. He grimaced, his fists clenching. "Sakura… what have you done?"

Her heart dropped. It hurt so, so badly to hear that he already blamed her without bothering to hear her side of the story. But with the "proof" all around him – how could she blame him? "Kankuro, I… I-It was too late… I tried, I…" she began blubbering, too overcome with her emotions to coherently defend herself.

Kankuro forced himself to look away, his eyes hardening. He refused to get emotional; she could see the struggle on his face. "Cuff her," he commanded, his voice thick.

"Kankuro, wait – " she began, her voice trembling, but a Suna ninja was already hovering over her and hauling her to her feet. They put cuffs around her wrists and held them tight; Sakura could've sent chakra into her arms and freed herself, but she didn't have the strength or the willpower. If she resisted, it would only make her situation worse.

"Please," she whispered between sobs, but he wasn't listening.

XXX

Kankuro refused to look at her the entire journey back into the walls. Luckily it was late and there were no civilians out and about to judge her with their angry, resentful stares… but she could feel the tension all around her. It was clear the shinobi escorting her were bristled with anger and she'd bet they would've loved to kill her right there and then – Kankuro was the only person standing between Sakura and a brutal death. She'd fallen silent after the first five minutes; her pleas and desperate attempts to explain the situation had fallen on deaf ears. She'd even tried to talk to Kankuro's subordinates, including the one holding her shackles, but none of them listened either; whether it was on Kankuro's command or simply because they didn't want to, Sakura had no idea.

After being deep in thought for a good ten minutes, Sakura finally voiced something that had been bothering her. "Did… did you really agree to take Gaara from his position? To be Kazekage?" she asked, her eyes on Kankuro.

He continued walking in front of her, never stopping, but he did glance back at her, a frown on his face. "How do you know that?"

"I… The boy… He told us. Before they killed him."

"Before _you_ killed him," one of the other shinobi spat.

"I _didn't—"_

" _Quiet,"_ Kankuro snapped. "What did he tell you, exactly?"

Sakura frowned. "He said… he said that you'd agreed to their plan. That you'd agreed to be Kazekage as long as there was no bloodshed…"

"It's too late for that," he growled, glancing away. "But he was right… and he was wrong. I told them that to find out what was going on. It's a long story, but basically we fooled Tojuro – the traitor councilman – into admitting what he'd done. He'll be put through processing and tried for his crimes. And Gaara… he's not going anywhere. He'll be Kazekage for many years to come."

Sakura fell silent for a few more minutes. That was good, at least…

"But while he was trying to convince me to join him, he showed me what you've been doing."

Sakura's face paled. "W-What?"

"The files. The videos." Kankuro's voice was bitter. She could see his shoulders tense up as they walked.

"You have to know those are fake," Sakura pleaded. "Please, Kankuro… You have to know I didn't do this…"

"Do I?" He swung around abruptly, causing her to rear back in fear, nearly knocking her escort over. The brunette was in her face, his eyes narrowed angrily, his hands clenched into tight fists. "Do I know that you weren't sent here by Konoha to cause chaos? To give them the edge over us? So that they can _control_ us?"

Sakura's eyes widened and her heart snapped right in half at his sudden prejudice. So it wasn't only the older generation that had been raised with that in mind… Tears pricked the corners of her eyes but she looked him in the face resolutely, swallowing the lump in her throat. "I don't believe that you truly believe any of that," she said, voice quivering.

Kankuro remained silent for a long moment, before letting out an angry sigh. "I don't know what I believe," he growled.

Sakura took the chance and leaned forward, her eyes beseeching. "Please believe me," she croaked, her voice breaking. "I didn't do this. My captors did… They're controlling everything. They played on Suna's prejudice and fooled everyone into doing what they wanted… I was just a pawn in their game."

"Who?" Kankuro demanded roughly.

"R-Remember the ones you warned me about…" Sakura bit her trembling lower lip. "Those two at the hospital… The interns who weren't in the ninja database? Tetsudaite and Fushigi… I-It was them."

Kankuro was silent for a long moment, seemingly deciding on whether or not he wanted to believe her. Finally, his eyes lifted back up to her face. "Where are they?"

"I-I don't know…" she looked down. "They escaped… after th-they killed that poor boy."

Kankuro cursed and turned away. After a long moment of seething, he turned back to her, his eyes intense. "How am I supposed to defend you against the council if you can't give me anything?!"

"But I - …" Sakura paused, her eyes widening. "… Defend me?"

Kankuro scowled. "Just tell me what you know, Sakura."


	9. The First Time

**_A/N: Hi everyone! Thank you so much for all of the reviews. Some of the ideas for this chapter were given by user Orangana, so a shout-out to them! Thanks again! And remember - please review! Those are what encourage me to keep writing!_**

 ** _NOTE: This chapter contains LEMON. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK._**

 _Chapter Nine: The First Time_

As they marched through the sleeping village, Sakura quietly told him everything she knew – describing everything that had happened so far, who they'd killed, who they'd been working with, and what their plans were. Even as she described everything in detail, Kankuro seemed skeptical and had a hard time believing her; her escort even made a comment under his breath. She knew that the council would be even more hard-pressed to believe her – but she had to try. If she didn't, the relationship between their two villages would be ruined and the peace would be broken, just like those two criminals wanted.

What could she say or do to convince him…?

"Kankuro – " she suddenly began, rushing out of her captor's grip and toward the hooded brunette. He quickly turned and grabbed her arm to restrain her, and when his skin met hers there was a jolt there that neither of them seemed to expect; he jerked his hand away as if he'd been burned and the Suna shinobi behind her grabbed her by her arms more tightly than needed. But she didn't even think about the pain; she locked eyes with Kankuro. But within seconds he'd averted his eyes and continued on his way.

Finally they arrived at the Kazekage mansion and Sakura's heart leapt into her throat as they ascended the stairs. Kankuro was on the fence about the issue; how would Gaara react? Temari? The Suna elders? Everything was still up in the air and the uncertainty made Sakura feel sick.

Kankuro knocked on the door and upon gaining permission, entered the office. Sakura was pushed inside by her escort and after a quick stumble she found her footing. Her adrenaline was still pumping – that was the only reason she was conscious. Inside she saw Gaara, nursing some wounds, Temari, who looked very perturbed, and an older man she recognized instantly. It was Lord Ebizo, the brother of a woman Sakura looked up to, a woman that had given her life not only to save Sakura's, but Gaara's as well. He was the brother of Lady Chiyo, who now had an ornately decorated grave in the village cemetery. The sight of him made Sakura's heart clench and she had to look away.

Gaara looked up and when his eyes met Kankuro's, he frowned deeply. Then his blue-green eyes moved to Sakura and his expression became… sorrowful. He didn't speak; he didn't need to.

But Kankuro did. "I don't know where to begin."

Gaara clasped his hands together, his brow creasing. "… Start from the beginning."

Kankuro began explaining everything that had happened, glossing over the parts that Gaara already knew about, ending with where he'd found Sakura and escorted her to the mansion. He'd omitted everything Sakura had told him. As he finished, he asked, "… Have you seen the tapes Tojuro showed us?"

Gaara shook his head. Temari, who'd remained silent until now, grit her teeth and ground out, "What tapes?!"

"They're tapes from the hospital records… They show Sakura botching surgeries, sneaking files." Kankuro's hands clenched into fists as he spoke. His expression grew darker and darker and Sakura, for the life of her, couldn't understand why… She watched him, dread filling her chest. Hadn't he said earlier that he was going to defend her…?

"Why would you want to show us information that incriminates her further…?" Gaara's brow line furrowed.

Temari slammed a hand down on Gaara's desk, her dark green eyes filled with outrage. "Just show us the videos! Now!"

Gaara remained silent for a long moment. It was clear he was thinking long and hard about this. "… Let Sakura watch them with us. Perhaps… Perhaps she could tell us where she really was when these things occurred." Then his eyes moved to her and she thought maybe she saw a hint of a smile there. There was a slight reassurance in his green eyes that made Sakura's stomach drop.

Sakura bit her lip, trying hard to swallow the sudden lump in her throat. Despite everything he'd seen tonight to the contrary, Gaara _believed her. He was giving her a chance to prove her innocence…_ A single tear slipped out stubbornly and rolled down her cheek.

"Why are _you_ defending her?" Kankuro suddenly demanded, his voice taking on a sinister tone Sakura had never heard before. The mere sound of it made her skin crawl. Kankuro leaned over Gaara's desk, his dark eyes narrowed dangerously. Gaara stood slowly from his chair, his own shoulders tense with anger. "Do you… Do you _like_ her, brother? When you're supposed to be marrying Hakuto? You're chasing after Sakura? Why don't you just marry Pinky here instead, that way we can give the title of Kazekage to a Konoha brat?!"

The two brothers squared off, both of them clenching their fists aggressively, and Sakura's stomach grew taut. This was too familiar… Way too reminiscent of the nightmare she'd had while captured by Fushigi and Tetsu. This had gone way too far… The last thing she wanted was for them to fight at all; much less over something like this. Kankuro's words stung her deeply, but seeing them looking ready to take each other out hurt so much worse.

Even Temari had had enough of her brother's outrageous temper. "Enough!" she shouted, stepping in between the two. While Kankuro still seemed riled up, the tension drained out of Gaara and he plopped back down in his seat, running his hands over his face and sighing deeply. The fight had been avoided for now, but the tension in the room could be cut with a knife.

At Gaara's command, the tapes were brought in and played on a screen in the corner of the office. Everyone watched, their faces growing increasingly grim – some outright angry – and Sakura fought the urge to look away in shame. How had Fushigi so masterfully edited these tapes? Looking at them, Sakura knew she'd done _none_ of these things, but this looked so real that she couldn't blame them if they wanted to kill her right then and there. Fushigi had even gone so far as to edit a tape of Sakura actually performing surgery to include the pinkette purposefully cutting a slow-bleeding artery. Sakura remembered that patient dying a few days later from post-surgery complications…

The next scene showed Sakura going into a locked room and tampering with medical files – a crime all in itself. But upon closer inspection, Sakura noticed the date and time in the corner – and her brows furrowed in confusion. What had she done that day?

It hit her and with widening eyes, the pinkette practically jumped at the TV. "There!" she said, motioning wildly with her head since her hands were in shackles behind her back. "I wasn't even AT the hospital during that time frame – I was having lunch with Setsuko!"

"Setsuko Hoki?" Gaara's brow line raised in surprise. "… Hakuto's aunt...?"

Sakura blinked, then frowned. Hakuto… Kankuro had mentioned her earlier, saying she was the one Gaara was supposed to be marrying. So Hakuto was her name… the pinkette asked hesitantly, "Where is she?"

Gaara frowned bitterly. "She's gone now."

Realization dawned on the pinkette and she frowned sadly. "I… I am sorry." His rescue mission must not have gone so well. But hearing that Setsuko, her newfound friend, was the aunt of Gaara's former fiancé was… strange.

"Could Setsuko verify this?" Kankuro asked, bringing the conversation back to the present. His anger seemed to have been brought down to a simmer, at least for the moment.

"I hope so," Sakura murmured.

"I'm not convinced of any of this." Lord Ebizo had finally spoken. His fuzzy eyebrows hid his eyes but Sakura was sure there was disapproval in them. "We'll ask Lady Hoki for confirmation; in the meanwhile, lock this girl up. We can't risk anything else happening."

Sakura's eyes widened and the pit of her stomach filled with dread. A night in… prison? Gaara interjected. "Setsuko-san is on a mission at the moment," he said quietly. "She'll be back in three days."

Sakura barely stifled her gasp. _Three days in prison._

Kankuro stepped forward, gritting his teeth. There was something wild in his eyes… something desperate. "No," he said quickly, before composing himself. "I mean… please, sir. We don't know _what_ is going on. She could be framed by someone else. Let her stay in her room rather than in jail – I'll guard her myself. She won't be going anywhere, I swear on my life."

Sakura's mouth hung open as her gaze turned to Kankuro. Minutes ago he'd been vehemently denying her innocence; now he was vouching for her…? What the hell was going on and why was he having such crazy mood swings? Sakura knew then and there that there was something wrong: Kankuro was not acting like his normal self. She made a silent vow to find out what was going on with him and what she could do to fix it.

Ebizo was silent for a long moment. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Gaara said, "That's a good idea. I don't want her to spend a night in the jails either… I'll allow it." Ebizo's lips curled into a scowl but he said nothing.

Turning away, Kankuro grabbed Sakura's arm and escorted her from the room.

XXX

As soon as the secret entrance slid shut, Kankuro took the manacles off of her wrists. They made their way silently down the hall to her room, Sakura rubbing her wrists gingerly, and when they got to her door, she turned to him with big eyes. "Kankuro, I—"

The brunette held up a hand to silence her. His face remained grim. "Get inside the room. I'll be out here. Don't try anything funny."

Sakura's face fell. "Y-You don't believe me?"

"I don't know," he ground out, growing angry. His broad shoulders were tense with irritation. "But either way, that doesn't mean I want to talk to you. In fact, I don't really even want to look at you."

Sakura's heart dropped into her stomach and her mouth dropped open. "I—w… what…? Kankuro, what's going on…?"

He looked away from her, his expression full of bitterness. "Baki-sensei told me what happened between you and Gaara."

Sakura's face paled. _He'd found out?_ Carefully composing herself, the pinkette cleared her throat and stammered, "W-What… w-what did he see, exactly…?"

"He wasn't sure." Kankuro's voice was strained. "He said you looked like… like _lovers."_

Her heart skipping a beat, Sakura panicked and moved forward in an attempt to reassure the brunette. "No, Kankuro, I can explain –"

"Don't bother!" he shouted. Without warning Kankuro grabbed her with one hand and opened her door with the other. They locked eyes for a few seconds; there was that look again… that wild anger that seemed to take over his whole body, making him shake. After shoving her inside, he closed the door and slammed it shut.

There really was something wrong. And she had to find out what.

Sakura wasn't sure how long she beat on the door, pleading for him to listen to her. All she could think of was, _'I can't lose him, I can't lose him, I can't lose him.'_

Because if she lost him… what would she have left?

Eventually, exhaustion overtook her once her adrenaline faded. Slumping against the door, Sakura fell into an uneasy waking sleep. She didn't even make it to her bed.

XXX

Two days. Or at least she suspected it was two days.

She went two days without food, water, or even a restroom break She'd found an abandoned bucket in the closet she'd been able to urinate in, but it was beginning to smell. She was dirty, hungry, thirsty, miserable. Still, she didn't give up – she spent most of that time at the door, knocking on it, trying her best to explain things, pleading – but Kankuro remained entirely silent on the other side. If it hadn't been for the shadows of his feet under the crack in the door, she wouldn't have even known he was there. He only left occasionally to use the bathroom or eat (or so she imagined), another guard only temporarily relieving him.

There was a great chance her voice had been wasted and all her pleas had fallen on deaf ears.

It was hard to tell what time it was or how much had passed, but Sakura was fairly certain it was late night when the door finally opened. She'd been sitting on the floor, coughing from a dry and scratchy throat. The sheer shock from seeing another person in the room left her still and speechless for a moment.

His voice brought her out of her stupor. "Get up."

She numbly obeyed. She was too exhausted to put up any resistance. Getting to her feet, Sakura stumbled over to him and Kankuro none-too gently grabbed her arm and hauled her out of the room. Despite the delirious tired state she was in, Sakura still growled, "You don't have to be so rough, you know. I'm not going anywhere."

The puppet master didn't even offer a response, simply escorting her down the hall. She knew immediately where they were going: the bathroom. Relief flooded her, so bright and so intense that she wanted to hug him, to kiss him, to cry. But she did none of those things… she couldn't. As soon as he let her into the bathroom, he closed the door behind him, leaned against the wall, and said shortly, "You have ten minutes."

Sakura briefly debated on whether to try and talk to him or take advantage of this brief freedom. Deciding after a moment on the latter, she immediately threw herself past the shower curtain, threw off her old, dirty clothes, and turned on the water. Making it as hot as she possibly could, the pinkette spent the next ten minutes scrubbing every inch of her as hard as she possibly could. Her newly-tanned skin was now pink and raw from the thorough cleaning she did, and the hot water stung, but she felt cleaner than she had in ages.

"Time's up," she heard his voice.

"I know," she responded. Turning the water off, she took a moment to close her eyes. All of sudden she was brought back to the night they'd spent together in her room, surrounded by take-out and laughing at nothing. He was nothing like the Kankuro that stood in the corner now, waiting for her. This Kankuro was full of anger – and Sakura had to admit… That anger scared her. It was too familiar… too much like the Kankuro in her nightmare. Somehow, Sakura knew that this was Fushigi's doing, but she had no idea how to stop it or free Kankuro… And the thought made her heart feel hollow. Tears stung the corners of her eyes as Sakura realized that she had strong feelings for Kankuro – ones that wouldn't go away, no matter how this ended. Maybe… maybe she even loved him.

And whether or not he believed her innocence, whether or not he loved her back, whether or not she could save him from Fushigi's influence… no matter how this ended… she had to tell him.

Wiping her eyes, Sakura grabbed a towel from the rack beside the shower and dried off quickly. Her damp pink hair clinging to the back of her neck, she wrapped the fluffy white towel around her body and stepped out, pulling the curtains back. She knew he would keep this as brief as possible, so she had to act fast. It was now or never.

With a strong sense of purpose, Sakura strode over to Kankuro, who leaned off the wall, unfolding his arms. Before he had a chance to react or stop her, she grabbed his face and leaned up on the tips of her toes; her mouth met his and she could feel him tense against her.

And then all that tension melted away.

Two hands settled on her waist and she let the kiss linger for a few beautiful moments before tearfully pulling away. Her hands remained on his cheeks, a thumb caressing just under his eye. "I love you, Kankuro," she whispered.

He stared at her for a long moment, his dark eyes wide with shock, his lips parted. Suddenly his hands tightened on her waist, his eyes went even wider, and he looked utterly stricken – almost horrified. "Sakura," he breathed, his chest heaving. "I… I felt so angry, I… I couldn't control it. It was swallowing me from the inside, I – "

Sakura shook her head, blinking back her tears. "I-I think I know what it was," she said, frowning. "Fushigi… She has these powers… She… When they'd captured me, she forced these nightmares into my head… I think she's behind it. Somehow she.. she was able to get into your head and influence your thoughts."

Kankuro blinked wildly, his gaze drifting aimlessly, from her to the walls to the ceiling. Eventually he calmed and his eyes moved back to her, able to focus. "Wait…" his eyebrows fell. "Did you say…?"

Sakura smiled sadly. "… I love you."

His brows furrowed. "But… But Gaara…"

Sakura looked away. "I'm so sorry about that, Kankuro… I… I don't have any excuses."

"I can't exactly be mad," he finally replied with a sigh. "It's not like we were dating or anything."

Sakura's hand dropped from his face and she bit her lip. "It doesn't matter. I regret it… And I'm sorry… so sorry… for hurting you."

Kankuro was silent for a long moment. Finally the pinkette felt him lift her chin and she was forced to look at him. When she did, she was surprised to find his lips were curled into a crooked grin. "So you love me, huh?"

Her face flushed. "Don't push it."

XXX

They'd realized their close proximity and that – combined with the fairly skimpy towel she'd been wearing – had caused them to break apart. He took her back to her room and this time, instead of standing guard outside, he'd come in – after she'd changed and gotten rid of her waste bucket, of course.

Closing the door behind him, Kankuro found Sakura sitting on the edge of her bed. As he approached, he said, "I'm sorry, Sakura. For not defending you in that office."

"I don't blame you," she said. Sure, his actions and his words had hurt her feelings so badly she'd felt the breath leave her. But she knew now that it hadn't been entirely his fault. And she wasn't going to make him feel guilty – especially when _she had_ been guilty. Patting the space beside her, she invited him to sit.

As he sat down beside her, the brunette pulled the hood from his head, holding it in his hands and looking down at it. "I think Setsuko-san will come through," he said quietly.

"When is she coming back?"

"Tomorrow." Kankuro lifted his gaze to stare at the wall. He let out a heavy breath.

So she _had_ been right. Two days had passed. She leaned forward, elbows resting on her knees, and ran her hands over her face. "Ugh. What am I going to do…?"

Kankuro's response was sudden and surprisingly aggressive. "You mean _we,"_ he growled, grabbing her arm. "What are we going to do? Because I'm in this with you." Even more surprising, he grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "I still don't know exactly _what_ happened, but everything you've said makes sense. If Setsuko-san can verify that she saw those two thugs lurking around the hospital too… If we can get even more witnesses… It'll definitely help your case. It'll take a lot to convince Lord Ebizo and the other council-men, but my word has a bit of sway. Gaara's has even more. If he's not already on our side, we'll get him there, and I think from there everything will be okay. But no matter what happens… I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

Sakura gazed at him with wide, tearful eyes, and when he looked back at her she was struck with a feeling so strong that she couldn't breathe. It was stronger than anything she'd ever felt before. Even her love for Sasuke, as long and as strongly as she loved him, didn't compare to this. Kankuro was willing to put everything on the line for her. His implications were staggering. What if she was deemed guilty? Would he defy the council – defy his brother – defy his village for her?

She sniffled and lifted her free hand to wipe her eye. "I… You shouldn't," she whispered, her voice cracking. She couldn't even look at him lest she forget to breathe.

But his fingers lifted her chin again and when she looked at him, she found his dark eyes filled with such strong emotion that she was predictably breathless. She didn't even have a chance to catch that breath when his mouth was on hers, warm, soft, yet slightly demanding. The hand on her chin ran along her cheek before curling his fingers in her hair at the base of her neck. He used that hand to draw her in closer – and the other hand, which had been squeezing hers, let her hand go to wrap around her waist.

Sakura was utterly exhilarated. Her heart was pounding, her lungs screaming for air, and as she threw her arms around his neck, curling her fingers in his wild brown hair, she knew that no matter what happened, things would be okay. There was nowhere else she'd rather be at that very moment.

It all happened so fast – his tongue was in her mouth, her shirt was on the floor (along with his), and she was in his lap, straddling him like a horse. Breaking away for much-needed air, Sakura panted, her green eyes hazy and half-lidded. When she looked down at him, she found his state to be exactly the same. "God you're gorgeous," Kankuro rasped, before pulling her down for more. Apparently he wasn't done exploring her mouth yet. As he kissed her like there was no tomorrow, the brunette's hand slid down her bare back, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake, until his fingers slid just under the hem of her pants – making the pinkette jump.

She pulled away again, her chest heaving, her face flushed. "I-I haven't… ah…"

His eyes widened slightly in realization, but his hand didn't move. "You're…"

She nodded.

Kankuro's eyes searched her face, his lips parted to take deep breaths. She could see the strain in his neck, the tension in his broad shoulders – he wanted her, badly, and the thought was both scary and so, so arousing. "Do you want to stop?" he asked, his voice husky.

She thought of the way he looked at her like she was the prettiest thing on earth, the way his fingers were tangled in her hair right now, the way his fingers teased the edge of her panties…

"No," she whispered.

He waited another moment, hesitant, and when she nodded resolutely, that was all he needed. He grabbed her, kissed her with a renewed vigor, and abruptly rolled them over so that she plopped back onto her bedsheets. Kankuro hovered over her, staring down at her, before his face buried in the crook of her neck. He peppered kisses all along her skin, making her eyelids flutter, and when his lips started moving lower…

Her breath caught and she couldn't help but bite her lip to stifle a mewl of delight as he planted wet kisses all along the swell of her breast. She'd never felt such an urgent need to get her bra off as soon as possible. She wiggled her shoulders, trying to get out of it, but Kankuro tutted and his dark eyes lifted. The smirk he gave her made her quiver. "I'll take care of it." And he did – but the bastard took his sweet time doing so. First his fingers played with the strap, snapping it back against her skin and making her jump with anticipation, then he slowly, torturously pulled both straps down over her shoulders, planting a few kisses there.

Every little thing he did – each breath, each kiss, each glance he cast her way – made Sakura more and more uneasy. A warmth bloomed in her lower abdomen and soon enough she felt like her entire core was molten, hot liquid. Squirming, she rubbed her legs together to try and relieve some pressure while Kankuro moved a hand behind her back to unhook her bra. He fumbled for a few moments but soon found it and with a slight bounce the cups came loose. Sakura had never felt so bare in her entire life… But her desire overcame her shyness and she merely bit her lip and glanced away as Kankuro pulled her bra off of her arms, tossing it aside. She couldn't bear to watch him look at her naked body… it was so… embarrassing!

"Beautiful," he growled, and his voice snapped her attention back to him. She watched as his hands grabbed the soft, fleshy mounds and squeezed gently, taking his time, all the while planting soft, fleeting kisses on the swell of each breast. Finally, just when the pinkette thought she was about to go crazy from waiting, his mouth trailed those teasing kisses closer and closer to her peak, his warm breath washing over her skin and causing the pink bud to pucker and distend.

His mouth closed around her nipple and Sakura tipped her head back, letting out a breathless moan. God… she'd never felt anything like this before in her life. It was all new, so glorious, so addicting. He gave the same treatment to the other nipple, before releasing it with a wet 'pop', a low rumble in his chest. She glanced at his face to find him enraptured. Sakura had always been so self-conscious about her relatively small breasts – but his appreciation of them made her feel more beautiful than she'd ever felt before.

But this – this was becoming too much to bear. She was all wet and hot and couldn't stop squirming… And she let Kankuro know. "Damn it, Kankuro, stop teasing me! I-I can't take any more."

His grin made her furious and aroused her even more. "I don't think I can hold back much longer anyways," he rasped, causing a shiver to roll down her spine.

Before she knew it, her pants and panties were littering the floor and his own pants and been shoved down around his knees, which were firmly planted on the bed. Sakura was too embarrassed to look down at… _it._ Suddenly she was hit by the realization that this was happening. _Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, he's going to have sex with me._ She was seized with a momentary panic, and, sensing her fear, Kankuro leaned down over her and made her look at him. "We can stop," he said softly, concern furrowing his brows.

Her eyes widened slightly. After all this… he was willing to stop? For her? His eyes were so genuine that Sakura nearly choked up. Coming back to her body, she listened to what it was telling her… And it was telling her that she wanted this. Every single inch of her wanted this – wanted him. "Please, don't stop," Sakura murmured, her hands moving up to touch his face.

After a moment he shifted against her and Sakura felt something hot and hard brush against her outer lips. She tensed up, her whole body rigid; this was new, but it was what she wanted. She had to remind herself of that. And while she was scared, every slight movement he made felt so… so _good._ Kankuro propped his body over her with one hand, the other moving down between them. Suddenly she felt his fingers brushing up and down her slit, and as one finger moved over a swollen pink button above her entrance, wiggling slowly, she gasped and let out a lewd moan she didn't know she was capable of. Fire raced through her body, shooting straight towards that little button, and she was liquid inside.

He kept toying with that little pearl, and the new sensation of his tip pressing through her netherlips made Sakura gasp. He hadn't entered her, not quite; but he was on the brink of doing so. While she was nervous, she was also so full of desire that it overwhelmed all of her senses.

He pushed inside. Slowly, inch by inch, he pushed inside of her, and while it hurt, there was also a ripple of pleasure that threatened to consume her, intensified by his thumb on her clit, slowly and rhythmically moving. Sakura let out a long, broken moan, her body trembling underneath him; the pleasure was so intense that she couldn't even hold her eyes open to look up at him.

But she didn't need to. After letting out a low groan that made electricity race down her spine, Kankuro claimed her lips in a heated kiss and let her adjust to him before he slowly, agonizingly started moving. God, it hurt, but mixed with that pain was a pleasure she hadn't known was even possible. She could feel her walls clenching around him, squeezing him, and she was so wet she wondered how she wasn't just a pile of jelly on the bed sheets.

His hips moved, slowly at first, eventually increasing their pace as she adjusted more and more. The pain gave was to blinding pleasure and her high-pitched moans of ecstasy were muffled by his hot mouth. She could feel the vibrations of his own sounds of enjoyment in his throat and chest, and Sakura put her arms around his shoulders, nails digging into the skin of his back. The heat was rising, the pressure was growing like a taut coil in her stomach, and as he moved faster and faster, Kankuro's hand drew away to brace himself on the other side of her hair. He pulled away from the kiss to gasp and pant and when she was finally able to open her eyes, she found that she'd never seen anything hotter than Kankuro Sabaku, sweating and moaning as he drilled her into the bed.

Was it minutes later? Hours? Sakura lost track of time – it was an endless blur of pleasure and ecstasy that all led up to this moment; this moment where Kankuro stiffened up, his breaths becoming erratic, his thrusts becoming jerky. "I-I'm going to…!"

She was so lost in the sensations assaulting her that she didn't even comprehend what he'd said until it happened: with a few hard thrusts, Kankuro hunched over, burying his face in her breasts, and came inside her. The feeling of his seed filling her to the brim was foreign but pleasurable. As he finished, Sakura prepared to go clean up but – he was straightening up, his face almost in a grimace. With the last of his strength, Kankuro moved a hand down and began rubbing her clit with a vigor that made Sakura's low pants heighten into squeals. That, added with the shallow movement of his hips and his still-hard member inside of her, sent the pinkette into a frenzy of lust. The pressure in her abdomen coiled tighter and tighter and –

She cried out, throwing her head back. Colors flew past her vision and she experienced something she'd never experienced before: a blinding, white-hot orgasm that left her spent and trembling, her legs feeling like jelly. Only when she was finally able to crack one hazy jade eye open could she see the tired grin splitting Kankuro's lips; it made her smile shakily as well.

Only when he rolled off of her, collapsing at her side, did Sakura remember: she needed to use medical ninjutsu and kill the sperm he'd deposited right away. _How unromantic,_ she thought blearily as she set a hand to her stomach and went to work. It only took a minute or two to find all of the sperm and 'zap' them, so to speak, but it felt like forever. While she worked, the brunette threw his pants off of his legs and onto the floor, settling into bed beside her. Finally, when she was done, she rolled over, draping a leg over him. Contentment reigned, despite the terrible situation they were in. Closing her eyes, Sakura rested her head on Kankuro's bare chest and could feel the sweat on his body. Even though the high from her orgasm still lingered, various neurochemicals like oxytocin and serotonin running rampant in her brain, the problem at hand still eventually resurfaced making her frown as she stared drowsily at the wall.

"Everything happens tomorrow," she murmured quietly.

"Tomorrow," Kankuro affirmed, an arm coming to rest around her naked body, his fingers making random patterns on her skin. She hummed, closing her eyes briefly.

"You'll stay with me, right…?"

"You couldn't make me leave."

XXX

The next morning wasn't awkward as Sakura at one point might've thought. They woke up, kissed, laid in bed cuddling for a few minutes, and then got up and got dressed. Things weren't _light-hearted,_ persay – things were too dire for that – but there was an air of contentment there, a stability that she'd never had before. No matter what, Kankuro would be there for her. She could rest assured, knowing that.

Although they were both dying for breakfast, they knew that going to the Kazekage's office was top priority, so they did. Their journey up the stairs was a silent one but Kankuro at one point had reached and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. That gave Sakura the confidence to take a deep breath, steel herself, and walk inside.

The expression the Kazekage bore made Sakura stop in her tracks, Kankuro nearly running into her backside. Gaara's face was dark and he had his hands clasped so tightly in front of him that his knuckles were white. "Gaara," Kankuro said from behind her. "What's the news?"

Gaara let out a ragged sigh. "Setsuko Hoki hasn't returned. She might be late… Or she might be missing."


	10. Reinforcements

**_AN:_ Hi everyone! I just wanted to thank you all PROFUSELY for the reviews, follows, and favorites! I'm so glad to know that this story is appreciated. For those concerned that Sakura "hasn't had any action" or isn't as "badass" as she should be; just you wait! The chapters coming up will have a LOT of action and Sakura will be kicking plenty of ass, I assure you. ;] I know how powerful she is and I plan to make full use of her abilities. Also; I've provided links to some drawings below so that you can see the all of the characters I've added into this story (just remove the spaces in the links)! Just so you all know what they look like. If the links don't work, PM me and I will provide you with them. I hope you like them and enjoy the chapter!**

 **Setsuko:** **thefancyburrito. deviantart art/Setsuko-Hoki-686713964**

 **Tetsu:** **thefancyburrito. deviantart art/Tetsudaite-686713744**

 **Fushigi:** **thefancyburrito. deviantart art/Fushigi-686713009**

 **Makoto:** **thefancyburrito. deviantart art/Makoto-Mori-686736710**

 **Jourei:** **thefancyburrito. deviantart art/Jourei-Jinsoku-686714270**

 _Chapter Ten: Reinforcements_

Sakura's mouth fell open. After everything they'd gone through already – and Setsuko was missing? Sure. She could just be late. But in the whole time Sakura had been teaching at the hospital in Suna, the tanned woman had never once been late, not even by a minute. It was much more probable that she was missing…

What the hell else could go wrong?

"We should find her!" Sakura growled, her hands clenching into fists. The adrenaline was pumping through her veins, making her exhaustion and hunger fade into the back of her mind, not important anymore. "If something's gone wrong, we need to rescue her and –"

Gaara held up a hand and her protests died in her throat. His expression was one of anger – he was just as upset as she was. She could feel Kankuro's body tense up behind her. The tension in the room was palpable, and there was a momentary silence that stretched on for far too long before the Kazekage spoke. "We will decide what to do once the shinobi from Konoha have arrived."

"W.. What?"

"Two days ago I sent our fastest hawk to the Leaf with a coded letter explaining the situation. I received a response yesterday. Three Leaf ninja are on their way as we speak. They should be here by nightfall, if all goes well."

Sakura's eyes widened. Her heart clenched painfully in her chest – she would be able to see people from back home. Maybe in the group were some of her friends… The thought made her heart hurt with relief. "Why am I only finding out about this now?" the pinkette whipped around to face Kankuro. "Kankuro, why didn't you tell me?!"

His face betrayed his guilt. "I'm only just now remembering it," he admitted. "And at the time I heard about it, I obviously wasn't thinking clearly…"

Sakura's face fell and the anger drained out of her shoulders. "I guess you're right," she said softly.

"I'm sorry."

She turned back to Gaara. "What do we do until then?"

Gaara grimaced. "Well, unfortunately… you're still a prisoner… at least until this gets resolved."

The pinkette stared at the floor. "Right."

"I'll take you back to your room," Kankuro volunteered quietly.

Sakura turned to follow the brunette out of Gaara's office. But before she went through the doorway, she turned back, her hand pausing on the doorknob. "Who did they send? From Konoha?" she asked.

"… They didn't say."

XXX

Back in her room, Sakura could feel the adrenaline fading, but she was still restless… and hungry. Increasingly so. Within a few minutes she could feel her stomach rumbling so viciously that she felt the urge to throw up. She opened her mouth to say something to Kankuro, but he was one step ahead of her.

"I'm getting you something to eat. I don't care if they won't allow it," he said, taking her by the shoulders. He gave them a squeeze, frowning. "I'll be back as soon as possible. Unfortunately I'm going to have to post another guard at the door. As much as I don't want to… we'll both be in trouble if I don't."

She nodded in understanding. Leaning in, Kankuro gave her a kiss on the cheek that was brief but left her heart racing. And she watched him go, shutting the door behind him.

Pressing her ear to the door, Sakura heard a quiet and brief exchange between Kankuro and someone else who was distinctly male with a ragged tenor voice. Sakura tried to wait patiently. She really did. But her restlessness was growing increasingly hard to control. She wanted to know what was going on and being kept out of the loop was infuriating – even if she did understand why. Eventually, Sakura put her weight against the door so she could try to speak to her guard. "What's your name?" she whispered.

At first he didn't answer. In fact it took him so long to speak that by the time he did, she'd nearly given up. "None of ya business, traitor."

She pursed her lips. Sakura strongly considered arguing with him to try and prove her innocence, but she knew that wouldn't do any good. "Look, I just want to know what's going on with the hospital," she murmured. "Have they made a decision on what to do? Where have you moved all the patients?" the worry in her voice was evident.

He was silent again. "Are you really not going to answer me at all?" she huffed.

"What, so you can find out where the rest of the patients are so you can escape and kill them off too?"

She grit her teeth. She could feel the anger welling up in her chest, making it hard to breathe, and in an effort to keep calm, she backed away from the door. For a moment, her rage-riddled brain considered breaking through the damn door, taking down the guard, and going to find out what was going on herself. But obviously… she couldn't do that for a number of reasons.

If it hadn't been for hearing Kankuro's voice outside the door, she would've driven herself crazy with her internal warring. "Just had to get myself some breakfast," Kankuro said. She could hear the smile in his voice. "Thanks for guarding the door buddy."

"No problem. I'd do anything to make sure the traitorous scum in there can't escape."

Kankuro's voice grew tight. "We don't have any proof of that yet." A brief pause followed. Kankuro continued before the other Suna ninja could argue. "You can go now. Thanks for covering me."

Sakura heard the guard's footsteps recede into the hallway and there was a long, uncomfortable silence. She continued pressing her ear against the door until long after the other man left. Suddenly the door opened and she nearly fell back onto her butt. Flushing in embarrassment, Sakura stumbled back a few steps and regained her footing. The sight and smell of food was enough to wash all embarrassment away, though – her mouth watered uncontrollably and without a second's wait the pinkette grabbed at the bags in his hands and took them to the middle of the room, setting them on the floor. Sitting cross-legged, Sakura took the take-out boxes out of their bags and went to town on the food.

Kankuro soon joined her, but didn't eat. She poked him with her chopsticks. "Come on. I can't eat all this alone."

The look on his face was rather grim. "I'm just worried."

Sakura frowned, lowering her gaze to the box of rice in her hands. "I am too. I don't know what we're going to do if we can't find Setsuko. She's the only link proving my innocence… And plus, she was a good friend. She was one of the only people who made me feel comfortable here… Besides you, of course." She nudged him playfully.

A small grin curled his lips. "Remember the last time we ate take-out in the middle of the floor?"

Her own grin was equally playful. "I do remember… I distinctly remember that one part…" Sakura moved closer to Kankuro, setting her chopsticks aside. Her green eyes locked with his own dark hues.

"What part is that?" His voice was quiet, ragged as she came closer to him. "Why don't you remind me? Jog my memory?"

"Gladly," she responded, climbing into his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck. Kankuro's hands settled on her hips, his dark eyes clouded with desire, and one of Sakura's hands curled in his brown hair, pulling them closer together. Her mouth met his and, in opposition to the other times, she now guided the kiss. She was in control. And it felt liberating. The kiss was slow, gentle, with hints of passion that made her blood burn, every inch of her skin tingling with want – no, with need.

Finally Kankuro broke the kiss, both of them short of breath, and he asked in a raspy voice, "Aren't you still hungry…? You should eat, Sakura."

"I'm hungry for something else, now," she replied softly, and she could feel him shiver under her.

But Kankuro was quite stubborn – as much as herself, if not more so. His hands slid up her body, making her squirm against him, until his fingers gripped her shoulders, keeping her at bay. "As much as I _really_ don't want to stop you, you need to eat… You need to keep up your strength. We don't know what's going to happen."

His words were sobering and she sat back in his lap, sighing. "You're right… I'm sorry."

His gaze grew warm and a calloused hand reached up to brush his thumb over her cheek tenderly. "Don't you dare apologize," he said, amused. "A guy would kill to have you coming onto him."

His compliment made her giggle. The smile still on her face, Sakura retreated to the floor and continued to eat. This time Kankuro joined her. Despite their terrible situation, the air was light as they spent the rest of the afternoon together.

XXX

It turned out that the Konoha shinobi didn't arrive until early the next morning. Kankuro had stayed with Sakura the entire night, although he had to leave the room periodically to make it seem like he was only guarding the door. Still, despite having him beside her for the most of the night, Sakura's sleep was fitful. She couldn't stop tossing and turning; her brain was restless with worry and anticipation. Who would Konoha send? Would these new arrivals help to clear the air, or would they only make things worse? Had Setsuko come back from her mission yet, or was she still missing?

So when 6:30 AM rolled around, Sakura punched Kankuro's shoulder, causing him to roll over with a grumble. He slung a bare arm over her, pulling her in close and nuzzling his face into her shoulder sleepily. "A few more minutes," he mumbled against her skin.

Her face flushed. His closeness was causing her to feel all warm and tingly inside – and for a moment, a big part of her wanted to just stay in bed with him all day – but the concern won out and she stubbornly patted his shoulder. When he didn't stir, Sakura hit him harder. "Kankuro!"

He lifted his head and the sleepy look on his face made her smile despite herself. His gaze shifted over to the clock near the bed. "Holy shit, Sakura, it's only 6:30…"

"The ninja from my village must've arrived by now! We have to go see!" Sakura sat up, pushing his arm off of her. "Plus; what if they send someone to summon us? We can't be caught like this!"

Finally he sat up too, rubbing his head and grumbling incoherently. Too immersed in her own worry to really focus on him (even though she very much appreciated the view of Kankuro Sabaku without a shirt), Sakura got up and began dressing herself. He followed suit, and soon the two were out the door without even a brush through their hair or a glass of water.

The journey upstairs was quiet; once, while they walked, though, Kankuro grabbed her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Arriving at the Kazekage's office near the top floor, they knocked on the door, hearing the murmur of voices from inside. The voices all paused and they heard Gaara's: "Enter."

Kankuro opened the door, allowing Sakura to enter first – and she was met with a familiar sight that made her eyes fill with tears.

"Ino!" She cried and flung herself forward, falling into the arms of her closest friend.

The blond hugged Sakura tightly, worry and love in her visible blue eye. "Are you alright?" she asked. "How are they treating you? If they've hurt you, I swear I'll – "

"We're right here," Kankuro interjected sullenly. Ino met his gaze with a defiance that was almost scary.

Sakura stopped the fight before it even began. "I-I'm fine," she sniffled, straightening up and wiping her eyes with the backs of her hands. "I—" when she lifted her gaze to Ino's face, she noticed a few marks here and there – it was obvious the blonde had been in a scuffle. "W-… What happened?"

"We were stopped very rudely by the guards at the gate," a deep, rich voice said from behind Ino; Sakura looked past her to see another familiar face. A tall man with tanned skin, long, jet-black hair, and a long scar over his left eye towered over all of them. He wore the new standard Jonin jacket with a black shirt and pants and black ninja boots; a purple forehead protector glinted from his forehead. His name was Jourei Jinsoku; he was a shinobi from Konoha as well, a few years older than them, and a very talented swordsman. Sakura had even heard that he'd trained with the samurai in the Land of Iron when he was younger, but she didn't know him well enough to ask.

Sakura also noticed the third familiar face; he gave her a small eye-crease smile as he stepped forward, brushing some black hair out of his face. "It seems that this situation has all of the shinobi here on their guard," Sai said, coming to stand beside Jourei behind Ino. "Though I suppose I cannot blame them."

Ino scowled. "I can. The Kazekage had given them strict orders to let us in; but they wanted to try and start a fight." She whipped around, her angry blue eyes focusing on Gaara and Kankuro. "Does the prejudice in your village really run this deep? It's shocking."

"Unfortunately, it does," was Gaara's sober reply. His voice was soft, his eyes pensive. "That's always been an issue here. Things aren't as bad as they used to be, but the situation at-hand has made things worse. People are afraid…"

"I can't blame them for being afraid," Sakura admitted. "I'm scared myself. Those two… what they plan to do… What they've already done… It's terrible."

"Who, Sakura?" Ino asked, frowning.

"Fushigi and Tetsudaite… I don't know where they're from but… I can't…" the pinkette rubbed her temples, her head aching. "It's hard to describe…"

"And we still have no proof that these people are real, as much as I want to believe Sakura," Gaara explained, his face grim. "She's told us what's happened, but we didn't see any of it for ourselves…"

Ino brought a finger to her chin thoughtfully, her pink lips curled into a frown. "Well. I could certainly use the Mind-Body Transfer jutsu and link your mind to Sakura's. That way you could see right into her memories yourself. Would that clear up the issue of her innocence?"

Gaara looked mildly surprised, but nodded. "It won't change the fact that the shinobi who know about this are all calling for Sakura's execution… But it's a start."

"Well you're the Kazekage," Kankuro said heatedly. "They have to listen to you! If you say Sakura is innocent, then they have to follow along."

Gaara gave his brother a wry, grim smile that held no humor in it whatsoever. "Some of these shinobi are the same ones who just tried to have me removed from office."

"We took care of them," Kankuro responded fiercely. "All the traitors are now sitting in jail—"

"Let's get down to business," Jourei interrupted, his face grim – but then again, from what Sakura knew, it always was. He was a dedicated shinobi, he loved Konoha and upheld his duty to the village more fiercely than most other ninja she knew, but he was also very serious and deadpan. He didn't have much room for humor in his mind. He continued, his hands on his hips. "Can you prove Sakura-san's innocence or not?"

Ino shot the man an irritated look. "Of course I can," she growled, gritting her teeth. "I'll do anything to prove it. Now," the blonde continued, turning her attention to Sakura and Gaara, "I'll need you two to relax, close your eyes, and open your minds. It'll feel a bit foreign and you're gonna feel the instinct to block it – don't."

Sakura closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. Ino had only been in her head once before – during the chunin exams all those years ago. Back then, it had been in an attempt to attack her. She was going to have to work hard not to block Ino's consciousness. And there it was – that probing that felt so intrusive – and Sakura grimaced, trying her best to keep her mind open and pliant to Ino's grasp.

And suddenly there was another presence in her head – no, two – and it felt so heavy that she could feel the weight on her shoulders. She resisted the urge to sink to her knees. "It's alright, Sakura. Show us what happened." Ino's voice was soothing, but Sakura still felt uncomfortable. Still, with much effort, she opened her mind and conscious brought herself back to a few days prior – starting with Kankuro sending her back to her room. That was when she'd found Fushigi, sitting on her bed with that smug expression on her face. Sakura painfully recalled every single detail from then to when Kankuro had found her in the middle of the desert, making sure to leave nothing out – as much as she didn't want to relive it all.

And when it was all over, and Ino retracted Gaara and herself from Sakura's mind, the pinkette suddenly felt weak… sleepy. This time when the urge to sink to her knees came, she gave in and collapsed – but Kankuro caught her before she could hit the ground. "Sakura!" he looked down at her, concern in his dark eyes. From her peripheral vision she could also see Ino stumble, being caught by Sai.

It took a few minutes for her to regain her bearings, but with Kankuro's help, Sakura got back onto her feet. She looked over to see Gaara sitting back in his chair in a slump, looking tired – and shocked. When his blue-green eyes focused on her, they were wide. He looked stricken. "Sakura," he exclaimed softly, and there was something a bit intimate about the way he said her name and she found herself unable to look away from him. Gaara swallowed heavily. "I'm sorry… Really, I am sorry."

Sakura finally tore her gaze away. "I understand why you needed proof… There's no need to apologize."

"Well, in any case… There is no doubt about your innocence." Gaara finally stood from his chair and turned towards the open window, looking out at the bleak morning sky. "But the fact remains that not only is one of our own missing… but those two criminals are out there somewhere."

"We need to capture them!" Kankuro growled, his grip on Sakura tightening. She hadn't even noticed until now that he was still holding onto her protectively. The thought that her friends were watching made her shift nervously; what would they think about her dating someone from another village? On that note; were they… dating? What were they? Sakura quickly shook her head and returned her thoughts to the present.

"We need to rescue Setsuko first and foremost," she said, determination shining in her eyes. "She has friends here. She has a family—" her eyes widened. A sudden realization hit her. "Her wife," she muttered. "Setsuko: her wife… Does she know what's happened? If not, we need to tell her!"

Gaara nodded gravely. "I'll send someone to fetch her. I want to tell her myself."

XXX

When Makoto Mori burst into Gaara's office about twenty minutes later, she was out of breath and there was an enraged look on her face that told Sakura she was prepared to fight anyone and everyone who got in the way. "Where is she—" the short woman began but her words died in her throat as her eyes wandered the room… and settled on one person. Her eyes widened and she gaped like a fish out of water – and when Sakura turned to see who or what she was looking at, the pinkette's eyes landed on… Jourei?

The tall man's normally tan face was fairly pale and there was a stricken look on his face – more expression than she'd ever seen from him. The silence filled the air and the tension was so palpable it could be cut with a knife. Finally, Kankuro broke the silence. "I'm guessin' you two know each other."

"Yes," Jourei responded, before locking his jaw and narrowing his eyes on her. Sakura didn't know what was going on but she could see strong emotions on both of their faces and knew that they had some sort of history. But Jourei was nothing if not focused, so he broke his gaze away from Makoto and said, "Let's get back to business."

"Right," Gaara said, folding his hands behind his back. "Makoto-san, did the courier tell you the situation?"

"He told me enough," she growled, her eyes narrowed angrily. "He told me my wife is missing. I plan on going to get her, with or without your help. Preferably without."

Sakura took a step forward in protest. "I'm going too!" she said firmly, determination in her green eyes. "There's no way you're going alone. Two against one? The odds aren't great, no matter how talented someone is."

"I'm pretty damn talented," Makoto shot back. Pointing a finger at Jourei, she snarled, "You can ask him. Now where is she?"

Sakura briefly glanced at Jourei. He looked angry, angrier than she'd ever seen him before. She was getting irritated herself; her short temper didn't help matters. "The fact of the matter is, I'm going! And no one is stopping me! And if we work together, then our odds of rescuing Setsuko are much better." Sakura grimaced. "We don't know where she is. We don't know where those two criminals are, either…"

There was a sober silence. Ino finally broke it, her voice quiet, so quiet that no one heard what she said.

"What?" Kankuro prompted.

"Senkai," Ino repeated, her arms folded over her chest, one hand lifted to touch her chin thoughtfully. "I remember hearing that name in your memories, Sakura… What's the significance there?"

Realization dawned on the pinkette and her eyes widened. She unwittingly grabbed Kankuro's arm, overcome with emotion. "Senkai," she said. "Tetsu said that name… there was a sort of awe or reverence in his voice. He'd said…. 'Senkai will be pleased.' I'm willing to bet that this 'Senkai' is the leader of their group…"

"That's not much to go on," Gaara said pensively.

Kankuro grit his teeth. "It's better than nothing!"

Gaara nodded. "… You're right. I'll put out feelers, send some ninja into all of the other villages. Ask around. Do some recon. Of course I'll send word to the other Kage, first."

Kankuro gave his brother a wry smile. "You've really got this Kazekage thing down pat."

"Well, this alliance between the villages certainly helps," Gaara admitted, giving Kankuro a tentative smile.

Makoto interjected, her voice harsh. "I can't wait that long!" she snapped. "I'm going after her. I don't care if you come or not, I'll –"

"How are you going to find Setsuko if you don't know where they've taken her?" Sakura stepped in. "Look… Give us a little time to gather some information. You can't just go scour the shinobi nations for her… You could spend years looking and not find her!" Stepping forward, the pinkette pleaded earnestly with the tanned, short-haired woman. "Please. I want to help. Setsuko is my friend… I want to find her as much as you do."

"I sincerely doubt that," Makoto spat. There was fire in her misty violet eyes. Finally, she seemed to relent, despite the tension in her shoulders. "… Fine. Come and get me when you find anything. And I mean _anything."_

And she left, slamming the door shut behind her.

XXX

A week went by, and Ino, Jourei, and Sai stayed as guests in the Kazekage tower. During that week, Gaara had sent out several letters using the Sand's fastest courier hawks, also sending out more than ten shinobi to gather information. The wait was agonizing – although it was nice to have Ino around. They'd even went out together as a group to have lunch on more than one occasion – and while they mostly talked about what was going on back home, and all the crazy things Naruto did while Sakura was gone, the conversation always strayed back to the situation at hand.

One question Ino had asked while at lunch one day continued to bounce around in Sakura's head for the rest of the week. "So… I noticed the way Kankuro-san was touching you, back in the Kazekage's office," Ino had said, giving her a playful nudge. "I never would've picked him of all people, but you two look adorable together. Soooo…. Is he your _boyfriend?"_

Sakura remembered the flush that covered her face, the heat blooming all the way down her neck. She wasn't sure she'd ever been so embarrassed in her whole life. Ino had also commented on the tan she'd recently acquired, but her question about Kankuro was what had stuck with the pinkette. It brought her back to the thoughts she'd had in Gaara's office… What _were_ they? Were they dating? They'd had sex… they'd kissed… And she knew without a doubt that she had strong feelings for him, and that he returned those feelings… He was the right person. She'd figured that out. And suddenly, she thought that figuring out her feelings might've been the easy part… the hard part was deciding what to do about them.

So near the end of the week, one night as they were having dinner yet again in the floor, this time in Kankuro's room, Sakura fell silent in the middle of conversation, her thoughts turning inward. She was having trouble deciding how to bring it up.

Noticing her sudden silence and the pensive look on her face, Kankuro poked the pinkette with his chopsticks, his brows raising. "Crow got your tongue?" he teased. When she didn't answer, his brows furrowed, concern filling his dark eyes. "Hey… what's wrong?"

Sakura's eyes lifted to meet his gaze and she gave him a weak smile. "I'm sorry. I'm alright."

"Obviously not," Kankuro responded, setting his box of take-out on the floor. Moving a large wrench out of the way, he scooted closer to her, leaning in. "Talk to me, Pinky."

What was the best way to bring this up? Blurt it out? Beat around the bush? No; Kankuro didn't seem like the type of person to appreciate being discreet. He would want her to be straight-forward. Taking a deep breath, Sakura let it out and looked at him again. "What are we?" she asked.

Silence.

The brunette stared at her, surprise registering on his features, his brows raising so high they disappeared into his wild brown hair. Then, confusion. "… Why are you asking?"

She blushed, embarrassed. Her face grew hot she could feel the cold air on the tips of her now-red ears. Averting her gaze, Sakura looked at the floor, picking at a spare thread on the carpet. "I'm sorry. Just forget I said anything."

She felt a hand touch her shoulder tenderly and she lifted her eyes to find him smiling at her. Amusement danced in his warm eyes. "What do you want us to be?" he asked softly.

"I… I don't know. I've never done this before," Sakura admitted. "All I know is that… I want to be with you. You're… you're the right person."

He grinned roguishly. "That's what I was hoping to hear." Leaning in, Kankuro lifted a hand to brush his fingers through her hair. "So, Sakura Haruno; will you be my girlfriend?"

She felt that heat flood her face once more. "Y-Yes," Sakura replied shyly, biting her lower lip.

Kankuro grinned happily at her, but when she bit her lip, his gaze lowered to her mouth and he suddenly became entranced. The hand touching her hair trailed down her face until he grabbed her chin gently, his thumb running over her lip slowly. "It gets me really riled up when you do that," he said huskily.

Suddenly Sakura felt heat flood the rest of her body, something deep in her core clenching tightly, almost painfully. Every single nerve ending in her body was distinctly aware of his presence, of his touch; so when the brunette's free arm looped around her waist, palm laying flat on her upper back and drawing her close to his body, her breath caught in her throat and her hands went to his chest. "K-Kankuro," she protested, embarrassed, although the last thing she wanted was for him to let her go.

"If you don't want me all over you, then don't bite your lip," he growled lustfully, using his thumb to make her release her lower lip. "Although if you'd like, I could bite it for you."

Sakura didn't even know what to say to that. Somehow she found her heart racing, the blood burning hotly through her body. Finally, she just said how she felt: "Please."

Instead of responding verbally, Kankuro responded by teasing her. Instead of kissing her like she'd expected, he merely moved the hand on her back slowly downwards along her spine. She shivered, eyes growing half-lidded, and her fingers fisted in his black shirt. "Kankuro," she whined, trying to use her grip on his shirt to pull him in. He only grinned at her, and the look on his face was both infuriating and incredibly sexy.

"What do you want?" He asked softly, his voice raspy. Despite the grin on his face, she could see the strain in his eyes. This teasing wasn't easy on him either. "Tell me what you want, Sakura."

She was so impatient that she finally looked him in the eyes, leaned in slowly, and murmured, "I want you to kiss me… Bite my lip…" moving forward, the pinkette put her mouth to his ear, her voice intentionally seductive. "Then take me over to that bed over there... Use your imagination for the rest."

She could feel him shiver against her and once again, she felt that sense of control. It made her feel powerful and it was liberating. Suddenly she felt something against her thigh, hard and unyielding, and realizing what it was, she blushed heavily. That control was relinquished when Kankuro took action. With a growl, he grabbed her face in a firm but gentle grip and claimed her mouth with a fierceness that left her quivering. This kiss was hurried, fervent, almost desperate, in contrast to the slow and languorous kisses he'd given her before. Shoving his tongue into her mouth, Kankuro used both hands to wrap around her body, one hand on her lower back and the other moving into her hair. His touch lit her on fire and Sakura couldn't help but moan into his mouth, her body pressing against his. When his teeth closed on her lower lip, she yelped in surprise but was soon overcome with dizzying desire. There was something so incredibly _hot_ about the way he was nibbling on her like she was a fine delicacy…

"Woah," Kankuro exclaimed softly, releasing her lower lip and pulling back to look up at her in surprise.

"W-Wha?" she responded, opening her eyes to look at him, half dazed.

He smirked. "I can feel how excited you are."

Her eyes widened. When he nodded his head downwards, she followed his gaze between their bodies and could see a small wet spot on his black pants, right near the large tent formed by his erection. It was only then that she dully realized she'd been grinding her hips against him like a madwoman. Sakura cowed in embarrassment, covering her mouth with a shaking hand. "I-I'm so sorry—"

"Don't," he growled, using a hand to move hers away from her mouth. He looked at her earnestly, a possessive lust in his eyes. "It's fucking hot."

Before she could respond, he grabbed her up again and climbed to his feet, his mouth on hers once more. She kissed him back fervently, arms wrapping around his neck and legs going around his waist, and pressed against him when two large hands firmly squeezed her rear, holding her up.

Before she knew it she was pressed back into his bed – but something extremely cold and hard dug into her back and she jerked from the kiss. "O-Ow!"

Kankuro reached around her back and dug around, before removing the painful object. He held up a pair of pliers he often used to work on his puppets.

They both laughed and he tossed it aside before getting back to business.

XXX

The next morning, Sakura awoke, wearing absolutely nothing but a thin sheet. She felt something stir beside her and she rolled over to see Kankuro sleeping on his side, his broad chest rising and falling slowly as he slept. She yawned and curled up against him, snuggling closer. In response Kankuro's arm instinctively draped over her, his fingers curling in her hair, and she began to doze off once more. She hadn't slept this well in… well, ever. She could definitely get used to waking up like this; that was for sure.

She had just begun dozing off when there was a knock on the door. This caused Kankuro to stir as well and after offering her a sleepy grin, he rolled over onto his back and looked over at the door bleakly. "Coming," he muttered.

"The Kazekage requests your presence immediately, Lord Kankuro," the voice on the other side of the door said.

In ten minutes the two had dressed, brushed their teeth in the kitchen sink, and Sakura had run a brush through her hair. They made their way up to Gaara's office, both of them tense; the only reason Gaara would've requested them this early was if he had information on Setsuko. The thought of finally jumping into action made Sakura both excited and nervous. This time, she took Kankuro's hand, squeezing it. She earned a smile in return.

When they heard Gaara's "enter," Kankuro opened the door for her and they entered the office to see the rest of the group already there. Jourei stood in the corner stiffly, his posture rigid, while Ino waited next to Sai. They seemed to be standing very close together… Were they dating? Sakura made a mental note to ask the blonde when they had time. On the other side of the office, Makoto paced back and forth, a katana already strapped to her belt. She seemed even more restless and angry than before. "Finally!" the short woman exclaimed, her eyes bulging. "Did you stop and have breakfast before coming here?! Why don't we all go have some coffee first?!"

"It's only been five minutes," Ino retorted, folding her arms over her chest.

Ignoring Makoto's accusations, Sakura asked, "What's the news?"

Gaara stood in the middle of it all, hands folded behind his back. His expression was serious, as usual. "Seems the name 'Senkai' is fairly popular up north," the red-head began. "Rumors are especially heavy in Takigakure and on the border of the Land of Earth. Onoki has already given me permission to send a team to investigate and also said he would keep his shinobi on the lookout for Setsuko or the terrorists. I sent him descriptions of all three."

"So the Land of Earth," Sakura exclaimed. "That's where we need to go?"

Gaara nodded. "That seemed to be where the rumors are originating from. My moles told me that people refer to him as 'The Keeper.' It's unclear why. The rumors link him to a bunch of tea-houses, but I feel like there's more going on there. Now… I understand that not everyone may want to risk this."

"I'm going," Sakura said immediately, and there was agreement throughout the office.

"Alright then." Gaara's gazed moved over each of them – Makoto, Kankuro, Sakura, Ino, Sai, and Jourei – and there was hope on his normally deadpan face. "Go pack your things. Head out in an hour."

Everyone else went to leave, but Sakura lingered behind. Kankuro gave her a confused look, but she gave him a reassuring smile. He seemed reluctant to leave, but closed the door behind him. The pinkette was thankful for his trust.

Turning to Gaara, who seemed confused as well, Sakura took a deep breath. "Gaara," she began, but he cut her off.

"I see that you're with my brother," he commented softly. She tried to gauge his expression but he seemed very calm. Almost serene.

This only made her feel worse. "Gaara, I… I'm sorry – "

He held up a hand. There was a small smile on his face. "I'm happy for you…" he said. "Really, I am."

She frowned. It seemed that her terrible decisions weren't hurting him, but they were certainly haunting her. She took a step forward. "I'm sorry, Gaara…" she said softly, trying to swallow the lump in her throat. "I should never have…"

"It was my first kiss," he commented, turning to look out the window. The sun was already high in the sky, the heat bearing down on the bustling village. That serene smile was still on his face. "I truly enjoyed it. I'll remember it forever."

"Gaara, I…" Her eyes remained on him and she clasped her hands together anxiously. "I was… I was confused. About what I wanted. About… about who I wanted. I know that doesn't excuse what I did. I…"

She gave pause when the red-head turned from the window, stepped around his desk, and approached her. To her surprise, Gaara took her hands in his own, grasping them gently. He stared at her with eyes so intense that she had to look away. "It's good that it turned out the way it did, Sakura. You sorted out your feelings… That is something you needed to do."

Finally she looked back up at him, her voice full of emotion. "What… What if I had chosen you?" she asked quietly.

"My number one priority will always be my village," was his equally quiet answer. He didn't seem sad, or angry, or hurt; he was content. Like he'd come to terms with it. "As long as I'm Kazekage, I'm not sure I'll ever be able to get married."

Sakura gave him a small, sad smile. "Don't say that."

"It's true, and I'm okay with that…" he answered. "But the problem remains that I don't know who will carry on my name and assume my position in office when I'm gone. If I don't marry, I'll have no children."

"Well, I don't know if you've visited recently, but the orphanage is full of children who I'm sure would love to have the Kazekage as their father," Sakura said with a grin.

Gaara let out a chuckle; a strange, but pleasant sound. "Perhaps; but I don't think I'll make a good parent anyways."

"That's not true at all. If Naruto could be a parent, then so can you." Sakura smirked. "Could you imagine? Naruto, with a kid?"

They both chuckled.

XXX

Exactly an hour later, the group met just outside the Kazekage tower. Gaara appeared just to send them off. "Good luck," was all he said.

With grim expressions, the team of six set off into the sand, unsure of what was ahead, but certain of one thing:

They'd do everything in their power to rescue their friend and bring these terrorists to justice.


	11. The Stink-Eye

_**Chapter Eleven: The Stink-Eye**_

Sand, sand, and more sand. It surrounded them on all sides and even Kankuro and Makoto seemed to be uncomfortable. The group even had to shield their eyes as the winds picked up. But even the whirling sand didn't stop Sakura from spotting a dark red spot in the distance to their left – and she knew exactly what it was. She raced over to it, breaking away from the group, and fell to her knees before the spot. There was no body there; not anymore. Some Suna ninja must've come to retrieve the young man who'd died here…

Sakura stared at the blood stain with heavy eyes and could feel her heart thudding in her chest. There was a tightness behind her eyes and her face went dark as she remembered what had happened – how that stain had come to be there. The scene replayed through her mind's eye; how Fushigi killed the young ninja mercilessly after making him watch his friend die an equally painful death… and how they'd framed her for the whole thing.

She felt like she was just about to sink under when a hand touched her shoulder. She looked up to see Kankuro crouching beside her, frowning. He gave her a moment before saying softly, "We have to keep moving. The winds are picking up."

By that time the rest of the group had joined them at the spot and while they all looked at the dark red stain with sober expressions, only Ino seemed to know what exactly it was. "I'm sorry Sakura," she said, her eyes creasing sadly.

Sakura stared at the spot in the dirt for a few moments longer before standing to her feet. Kankuro reached to help her but she didn't need help; instead, she squeezed his hand gratefully.

They continued on.

XXX

While it normally took around 3 full days to get from Suna to Konoha, it would probably take half a day longer to get to Taki, mostly because the group would have to travel through Amegakure, Kusagakure, Tenchi Bridge, and Kanabi Bridge to get there. Thankfully that also meant there would be plenty of places to stop and eat and bathe. Certainly Sakura was used to toughing it out in nature, but knowing that modern comforts were available was nice.

The journey was mostly silent; Sai and Ino chatted amongst themselves and Sakura and Kankuro did the same. Makoto and Jourei stayed on opposite sides of the group, not talking to one another, not even _looking_ at one another… Sakura was very curious as to what exactly had happened between them to make things so tense, but she figured now wasn't the best time to ask about it – she wasn't even sure if they wanted to talk about it at _all._

It took an entire day to reach the border of the Land of Wind. During that time, a sandstorm had brewed, making the group take shelter in a cramped cave for several hours. It was mostly silent then, too, with the exception of Makoto's occasional angry grumbles. Sakura noticed that she frequently looked at Jourei and there was anger and emotion in that gaze. Whatever it was, it must've been bad. Really bad. While in the cave, Ino urged them all to put on their raincoats because when they approached Amegakure it would more than likely be raining. It was best to be prepared. So after the sandstorm died down, the group slipped on their traveling cloaks and went on their way. Sakura had gotten so used to wearing shorts and tank tops in the desert that this cloak felt much too bulky and uncomfortable.

When they finally reached the border, the sand gave way to grass, and then to water. A large lake surrounded Amegakure, and sure enough, as Ino had predicted, rain fell. The group pulled up their hoods and took a boat across the southern side of the lake. The ferryman didn't offer much for conversation; citizens of Ame were notoriously short-tempered and not very sociable. That suited Sakura just fine, although Ino tried to make conversation with the old man, attempting to get some information out of him. That venture was fruitless. He just gave the blonde the stink-eye and continued rowing.

The village – no, it was more like a city, with its tall industrial buildings and lack of forestry – loomed overhead the further they sailed across the rainy lake. Sakura glanced up at the sky and the grey, gloomy clouds seemed to match their mood exactly. She couldn't help but wonder: what were those criminals doing to Setsuko? Was she even still alive? Was this going to end up being some wild goose chase? Instinctively Sakura's hand reached out and found Kankuro's; in response he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. This caused her to lower her gaze from the sky and she met his eyes. "Well I'll be damned," he said, smirking. "Look how tanned you are. Pinky's not a porcelain doll after all."

She let go of his hand and punched him.

XXX

"I feel like it would be best if we asked around about our leads while we're here," Sakura suggested as the group stepped off the boat.

Makoto's protests were immediate and vehement. "No!" She snarled. "We are heading straight through and going north. We're finding Setsuko as soon as possible! No distractions!"

"Sakura's right," Sai chimed in, coming to the pinkette's defense. "Asking around for information won't put us very far behind schedule, and who knows; we could find some very useful information that could lead us to her sooner."

Sai's explanation seemed to cease Makoto's grumblings but she still didn't seem happy. As much as her almost desperate rage was stressing everyone else out, Sakura understood why Makoto was so angry. Setsuko was her wife – the person she was bonded to for life – and she was missing. If Kankuro or even Naruto or Sasuke were to go missing, Sakura would search of the ends of the earth for them and never give up. She sympathized with the violet-haired woman.

The buildings towered over them, cold and sharp and grey and foreboding. Sakura had only been to Ame once or twice and she didn't enjoy herself either time. "How does anyone live here?" she heard Kankuro mutter.

Before officially entering the village, the group came to a stop and Jourei was the first to speak. His voice was deep and his face was serious. "I think it would be safer if we split up and meet on the other side of the village in an hour. Teams of two would be most efficient."

"Yes, sir," Makoto answered, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"It's a good idea," Kankuro agreed with a shrug of his shoulders. "Teams, then? Of course, Sakura's coming with me."

The pinkette raised a brow. "Since when do you make decisions for me?" she teased.

He smirked. "I just don't want another guy seeing how cute you are and trying to snatch you up."

Sakura giggled but she could hear Makoto fake retching noises in the back, ruining the mood. "I'll go with Sai –" Ino began, then looked between Makoto and Jourei. Everyone was thinking the same thing: 'Putting those two together could cause this whole thing to turn into a giant shit storm.'

"Jourei, how about you come with me?" the blonde suggested smoothly. The tall man's only response was a grim nod. Turning to Sai, Ino took his hands, looking at him worriedly. "Please… be careful."

Sakura noticed just how worried Ino was. It was more than clear that she didn't want to be separated from Sai… Just like Sakura didn't want to be separated from Kankuro. But at the same time, her curiosity over this whole Jourei/Makoto issue was growing stronger and stronger. Finally, she stepped forward. "Jourei can come with me. Makoto, you and Kankuro can team up, and Ino and Sai can stick together. We'll meet up at the northern docks in an hour. Understood, everyone?"

They all nodded and Sai and Ino split off, entering the village. Sakura looked back at Kankuro and he looked… worried. Her face softened and she moved to touch his face beneath his hood. "I'll be okay," she promised.

"If something happens to you, I'll never forgive myself," he growled.

She smiled. "Good luck. And try not to cause any trouble with Makoto, okay…?"

His only response was a grumble and a kiss pressed into her palm, which left her tingling. Reluctantly she pulled away from him and joined Jourei near the village gates; and after showing their IDs and going through the rough inspection by the guards, they were inside.

XXX

Despite its grim and gloomy appearance, Amegakure was bustling with life. Shinobi patrolled the streets and buildings, their faces sour, and the civilians didn't look much happier as they manned their trading stalls and shops. Once or twice Sakura bumped into someone and while she apologized, they only gave her a look that said 'eat shit' and went on their way. Still, the pinkette put her shoulders back and held her head high, refusing to show how intimidated she felt inside. Jourei walked alongside her silently, his face grim. She didn't think his expression had changed at all since they'd begun their journey from Suna. She wanted to ask him what his beef with Makoto was, but how could she ease into a conversation like that? She couldn't just bluntly ask him; she didn't want to offend the man and make him even more closed-off…

Finally, she cleared her throat, green eyes glancing sideways at him. "So Jourei," she began, trying to keep her voice light and casual, "I heard you trained with the samurai in your younger days. I've never been able to ask you about it, but I've always been curious."

He didn't break his gaze away from their surroundings. He continued to watch vigilantly, never once breaking his concentration. Finally he answered her. "I did. Twice."

Disappointingly brief. Sakura tried not to let her disappointment show. "Oh..? For how long? How was it?" she prompted.

This time, he did look at her. His sharp violet eyes pierced her. "Why do you ask?"

She could feel sweat forming on the back of her neck despite the cool air. The man was intimidating. Plastering a smile on her face, she laughed awkwardly. "I-I just don't know much about you is all. There's no particular reason. We've just never been alone like this so I've never had the chance to ask."

Thankfully, he seemed to relax just a little bit and he continued watching the villagers around them; somehow his tall, bulky body was able to move gracefully through the crowds of people. "Ah," he said. Jourei was silent for a while before he let out a heavy sigh. "Well, in total, I trained and lived with the samurai in the Land of Iron for about two years. About a year each time."

Sakura could see his expression change minutely as he continued. "I lived with them, I ate with them, I trained with them. My mentor was a blind samurai named Momoku. He taught me a great deal; not just about how to handle a sword, but about myself. Many of the valuable life lessons I carry with me, I learned from him."

The pinkette listened intently, surprised that he'd opened up like this. Before their conversation lost momentum, she continued: "Is that how you know Makoto?"

His shoulders tensed up and his steps faltered just enough for Sakura to notice. She'd struck a nerve and she knew it. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I didn't mean to… I just… Well, all of us can tell there's something going on between you two. I'm not the only one curious to know what it is."

"I don't think divulging my personal history is a required part of this mission," he replied through gritted teeth.

Boldly, Sakura countered with, "It is if it's going to hinder our mission in any way. I feel like either one of you could blow up at any minute and we'd all pay the price for it."

Jourei spun on her with an anger that was frightening. "I would _never_ risk the mission – " he began vehemently, but a commotion on their right made him pause. The two turned their attention to the scene to find a small crowd gathering around two men who looked like they were in the middle of an all-out brawl. They were on the ground, wrestling; one man had his hands around the other's neck and the other was frantically pulling at his opponent's clothes and punching any part of him he could reach. They were just outside the entrance of what looked to be a tea house. "YOU OWE ME!" One of them yelled loud enough to be heard across the street. "Give me the money!"

Giving each other an alarmed look, Sakura and Jourei silently agreed to investigate and as they approached the scene, two Ame shinobi arrived to break the two villagers apart. "Brawling outside a public establishment is an offense punishable by prison time," one of the ninja growled, twisting the man's arms roughly behind his back. "You'd better be glad we're not chopping your arms off, scum."

' _These Rain ninja are brutal,'_ she thought desolately as she watched them take the pleading brawlers away. Soon enough the crowd dispersed, probably used to seeing fights in the middle of the street, but Sakura was in investigation mode. They were here to gather information, after all. "I think we need to check this place out," she suggested to Jourei.

Having put their disagreement to the side to focus on the mission, the tall man nodded in agreement and the two made their way into the rather crowded tea-house. Inside, the lights were somewhat dim and the atmosphere was calm, relaxed, soothing… classy. The tasteful decorations screamed elegance and the patrons were dressed in richly colored silk clothing. This wasn't your average run-of-the-mill restaurant; it was upper class and… seedy. Sakura couldn't put her finger on why this place made her uneasy; like this was just a show, a cover-up for something hidden underneath. She had a feeling tea wasn't all that was served here.

She pushed forward and acted like she owned the place; if she was going to convince someone to give her information, she'd need to act confident, like she belonged there. Hesitancy would get her nowhere. Jourei followed behind her silently; she figured she would be the one to do the talking – but she felt much safer with a huge guy like him watching out for her. Approaching the bar, Sakura waited until a skinny, gaunt-faced bartender came up to her and looked at her expectantly. "A bottle of sake, please," she said politely. "I'm going to need it after seeing that fight out there…"

The man grunted and turned to make her drink. She'd hoped mentioning the fight would cause him to comment, but she had no such luck… when the bartender turned his back, Sakura gave him the stink-eye. However, someone on the stool next to her turned and asked, "Fight, you say?"

"Yes!" Sakura feigned shock. "Right outside the entrance! Can you believe it? I wonder what they were fighting about. One of them said something about money…"

"Eh," the man shrugged, knocking back a drink, "People fight outside this place all the time. That's what happens when you bet your life savings at the tables."

"Tables…?" Sakura's brows furrowed.

The man leaned in, voice low. She could smell the alcohol on his breath. He waited until the bartender set down Sakura's drink and left before speaking. "Yeah. Downstairs is where everyone goes to gamble. The higher-ups ain't supposed to know about it, though. Gambling isn't allowed here."

The pinkette's head spun with questions, but she chose the most important ones to ask first. "This place; who owns it?"

"I've never met him, but it's some rich guy named Senkai. He officially owns the tea house and… unofficially owns the gambling hall. It's real secretive. You've got to have a password to even get in."

Sakura's face lit up. "Do you know where Senkai lives?" she urged.

"Nope, not a clue."

Her face fell, but she refused to let herself get upset. They'd already gotten some valuable information and if they could gain access to the gambling hall downstairs… they might just find what they needed. Sakura put on her best flirtatious look and asked, "Do you happen to have the password… to get downstairs?"

XXX

"After living in the desert, every other place on earth just seems cold and wet and gross," Kankuro muttered, loud enough so his partner could hear him. "Am I right or am I right?"

Makoto didn't answer. She seemed… distracted. But he could guess why. Besides trying to find information, Kankuro had made it his own personal mission to try and find some sort of way to cheer Makoto up, or at least get some of this tension out of her – it would make everyone's trip a little less stressful. But how?

Make her laugh. He was pretty good at making people laugh, but he considered this woman an entirely new challenge. So he remained mostly silent as they strolled down the street, trying to think of ways to get her guard down. Finally the pair ventured into an antique shop. It seemed this little shop also had all sorts of quirky odds and ends and novelties, and Kankuro enjoyed himself as he slowly walked down the rows, looking at the various items for sale. He found one particular item that he was quite smitten with, picking it up and examining it. "Is there a reason we're here?" Makoto demanded from behind him.

Suddenly the puppet master whipped around, holding up the item next to his face – it was an electronic singing bass fish on a small plaque. Kankuro puckered his lips like the fish he was holding and fixed the violet-haired woman with an intent stare.

She looked at him flatly. "It's a fish."

Without a word Kankuro pressed the little button at the bottom of the plaque and the fish's mouth began moving as it sang a silly tune. Kankuro's mouth moved right along with the fish's in imitation, all the while staring at Makoto. As the song progressed, Kankuro's feet began moving and he did a little jig, still holding the singing, flopping bass.

By the time he was done with his performance, the brunette was rewarded with a small smirk on Makoto's lips. "You dance almost as well as the fish," she noted.

"Thank you, thank you," he said, giving her a bow. As he went to put the fish back on the shelf, he hesitated. "I kind of want to keep it."

"Do what you want. Your puppets might get jealous, though, Puppet boy."

"… Puppet boy?" Kankuro looked at her indignantly. "That's the best nickname you can come up with?"

"How about 'idiot that's gonna get punched if he doesn't shut up'?"

"I'll take Puppet boy."

Before they left the shop, Kankuro asked the owner about the rumors involving Senkai but the old man didn't have any useful information. A little ways down a side street, they passed by more shops – until Kankuro was grabbed by his arms by two pairs of hands. He tensed up, prepared to fight, but the giggles disarmed him – and alarmed him. "Your hood makes you so mysterious," one of two scantily-clad women said. They were both wearing gaudy jewelry and their hair was done in ornate up-dos. They looked young, younger than him – too young to be in the profession he was guessing they were in.

"Errr, hello, ladies," he replied, giving them a surprised, yet roguish grin. "Can I help you?"

"We were thinking we could help _you_ ," the first one said.

"You look so tired from your travels," the other added with a giggle.

They were still holding onto his arms and he couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable. At one point he would've been very much at home surrounded by pretty women, but now he had a girlfriend. It just didn't feel right. "Sorry," he said with a chuckle, "I'm taken. She gives me all the 'help' I need, ladies."

The two girls pouted – and Kankuro had to admit, it was adorable. "On second thought, there is something you can help me with," he said. "What do you girls know about a man named Senkai…?"

Their expressions were curious. "We know him quite well," the first one, the one with blond hair, replied. "He owns our brothel. He's a very kind master."

"And he's soooo handsome!" The other one gushed. "And so good in bed…. He can –"

"Aaaaaalright," Kankuro said, removing his arms from their grip uncomfortably. "Do you know where to find him?"

"I think he usually stays in Takigakure," one of them murmured thoughtfully.

"No, I thought he was on the border of Iwa," the other one countered.

"Do you have any _useful_ information?" Kankuro asked, exasperated.

When the girls seemed nonplussed, he threw his hands up, thanked them for their time, and walked away. It was silent for a long moment. Then he heard Makoto speak; he could practically _hear_ the smirk in her voice. "I wonder what 'Pinky' will think when she hears about this."

Kankuro gave her the stink-eye. "You wouldn't dare."

Makoto eyed him, still smirking smugly. "Buy me a drink and I'll think about it, Puppet boy."

XXX

"Any information you can give us would be sooo helpful," Ino pleaded, clasping her hands together in front of her chest and batting her eyelashes flirtatiously at the shop owner. "What he looks like. Where he lives. Anything!"

"Look lady, you might wanna get your eyes checked out. They seem to be twitching. And, uh… for the record…" he leaned in, his expression flat. "I'm not attracted to blondes. So that doesn't work on me."

As they exited the shop, Ino puffed her cheeks angrily. "Who the hell isn't attracted to blondes?!" she growled.

Walking beside her, Sai smiled slightly. Ino continued her rant, still angry. "You know what – I don't think he was attracted to women at all! Either that, or he was blind! I mean, have you seen me?!"

The pale man blinked. "Of course I have."

"Now would be a great time to compliment me to reassure me, Sai," the blonde grumbled.

He smiled again. "You look as beautiful as ever."

The pair turned a corner onto a side street (it was more like a dark alleyway really) and entered a small bookshop in search of some sort of clue. They didn't want to meet back up with the rest of the group empty-handed, that was for sure. While Ino harassed the cashier, Sai went into the aisles, browsing the self-help books with a curious expression. He picked up one called "Conversation for Dummies" and began perusing the book, flipping through and scanning some of the pages.

Suddenly a shadow fell over him and Sai turned to see Ino staring over his shoulder. "You're blocking my light."

She rolled her eyes, taking the book out of his hands. "Sai, do you really think you need these bogus books to have a conversation with someone?"

"… Yes."

Ino huffed. "No, you don't. I know you're not… err.. used to talking and interacting with people. I get it. But if you want help, you can ask me! These books are written by crackpots who only want your money. Now would you rather read a boring book, or have private lessons with yours truly?" She winked.

"I would rather read the book."

She gave him the stink-eye. "Well reading a book about having conversations instead of _actually_ having a conversation is counterproductive," the blonde growled, slamming the book down on its shelf and grabbing his arm. "Come on." She dragged Sai out of the store.

The two pulled up their hoods and continued making their way down the alley, empty-handed _again –_ until a group of five young men landed on the ground in front of them, having jumped down from the rooves of the buildings on either side. Thinking they were kids there to play a prank or something, Ino moved to shove past them, saying, "Sorry fellas, but we really don't have time –"

One of them grabbed her arm, wrenching it away from Sai, and slammed Ino against the wall. With a yelp, she stared at the young man (he looked to be in his mid-teens) with wide blue eyes.

Then her eyes narrowed.

She shoved him back with all her might, and as soon as two more of the boys moved in to grab her, she kicked one sending him flying, then whipped around and kicked the other. Sai grabbed the supposed leader and threw him up against the building before sending a sweeping kick into the fourth one's ankles and tripping him. With a sucker punch to the stomach of the last boy standing, Sai grabbed Ino's arm this time and the two ran from the alley way back out onto the main street.

When Ino looked back, her expression frantic, she saw that the five black-clad boys had recovered and given chase. She could tell by the way they ran (and the leader's surprising strength) that they were shinobi. Were they from Ame, or were they rogues? And why were they targeting Sai and herself? "Let's get to the northern gate," Sai said to her as they continued running. He hadn't let her arm go and Ino found it surprisingly comforting.

She slid her arm so that they were holding hands instead and she squeezed his fingers hard. "Right," she agreed, her blue eyes hardening. "It's almost time to meet the others there anyways. They can give us some back-up. I'd prefer not to beat these boys to a pulp inside the village – who knows how the Amegakure authorities might react."

"My beast mimicry would get us to the gate faster, but it would give away that we're ninja."

"We need to lie low. This chase is already drawing too much attention to us," Ino responded, panting.

"The rooftops," was Sai's suggestion and, still holding hands, the two turned down another alleyway and scaled the tall building.

XXX

Sakura and Jourei had been the second group to arrive at the northern gates of Amegakure. Kankuro and Makoto were already there; and to Sakura's shock, they were… laughing? Well, maybe not outright laughing. More like chuckling quietly. But still. She hadn't seen a single smile on Makoto's face as of yet, so seeing that Kankuro was able to get her to relax somewhat was reassuring.

As soon as she saw him, her pace quickened and when she reached him, Sakura threw her arms around the brunette, hugging him tightly. "I'm so glad you're okay," she said softly into his shoulder.

Kankuro returned the embrace, breathing in her scent. "Likewise, Pinky."

"Get a room, Puppet boy," Makoto sneered, although her expression wasn't quite as irritable as before.

"See if I ever buy you a drink again, short stuff," Kankuro shot back, but there was a smirk on his lips. "So… did you guys find any useful information?"

"Let's wait until the others join us," Jourei suggested, his face hard.

The group didn't have to wait long – with ten minutes, they saw Ino and Sai land hard on the ground, breathless, their faces panicked. "Five of them –" Ino began, but Sakura had already seen them.

As one of the five black-clad ninja leaped from the nearest rooftop, Sakura launched herself into the air and met him halfway. A chakra-infused fist sent the shinobi flying before his feet could even touch the ground. Sakura landed, softening her fall by rolling forward onto her feet. The others had leapt into action by now, including the two guards at the gate – who first subdued the young men and then pointed their weapons at the Konoha and Suna ninja. "What the hell is going on here?" one of the Ame ninja, the leader of the two guards at the gate, demanded roughly.

Kankuro held his hands up in defense. "You saw it! They attacked us first! I'm just as clueless as you are."

"Get rid of the attitude or I'll crush you into dust," the guard snarled.

"I'd like to see you try," was Kankuro's muttered reply as he gave the guard the stink-eye, but Sakura elbowed him and gave the guards a sheepish smile.

"We're not sure what's going on, sir," she said, knowing that since they were in Ame, they were technically under this man's jurisdiction. If he wanted to, he could have them all captured and jailed. "These boys attacked us. We don't know why. Maybe we should question them."

The guard's gaze moved from Sakura to the tied up young men and back. Then, he nodded. Approaching the young men, who sat on the ground with ropes binding their arms and legs, the guard pointed his weapon at them. "You're under arrest for violence and assault. What do you have to say for yourselves, you brats?"

One boy spat on the ground. He seemed to be the leader of the group. "Those Konoha ninja are scum. We were doing the right thing by trying to rid the earth of them!"

The guard's expression remained stone cold. "Search them," he ordered the other guard, who moved immediately to rummage through the pockets of all the boys. He drew out various ninja tools and scrolls – and one note, which he read aloud. "Find the Konoha ninja. Take them out."

"That's all?" the first guard prompted.

Sakura's hands tightened in anger and before anyone could stop her, she lurched forward and sent a fist crashing into the rogue's face. "WHO HIRED YOU?" she snarled. The boy only spat out blood and fixed her with a defiant glare.

A hand grabbed her shoulders and Sakura whipped around, ready to send that fist into another face – but Ino looked at her with a frown. "You attract more flies with honey than with vinegar, Forehead," she teased, but there was no smile there. Moving forward, the blonde took over the situation. Crouching before the leader of the little gang, performed the hand-signs for the Mind-Transfer jutsu.

Sakura rushed forward to catch Ino's body when she fell back. The group waited anxiously – and when Ino regained consciousness, her blue eyes sparked with determination and she smirked.

"I know where he is."

XXX

"Well – not exactly where he is," Ino amended when the group bombarded her with questions. "But when I looked into his mind, I could see everything. It was Senkai who hired them – at least I think so. I can only assume it was him… They called him 'Keeper.' They were… in a nice room… It was nice but very… boring. No decorations. I don't even remember seeing a table. They could definitely hire an interior decorator. I mean they should at least have a few _pictures_ on the walls or _something—"_

" _Ino,"_ Sakura growled, aggravated. "Where _was he?"_

"Right." The blonde smiled sheepishly. "There was a window behind his head… Outside the window, I saw a giant tree. In the middle of a lake. It was… beautiful."

"Takigakure," Sai said softly.

The group looked at him.

"Takigakure," he repeated a little more loudly, his thumb rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Takigakure was built around a giant tree in the middle of a lake. He's in Taki."

"Then that's where we're going," Sakura confirmed. She cast one last look at the tied up failed assassins, itching for a good fight, then finally turned away, leaving them under the care of the guards. She had more important things to worry about. Like saving Setsuko and taking down this group of rogue ninja.

After being checked thoroughly by one of the guards, the group passed through the gate and took a boat across the northern side of the lake.

"Hey, the rain's finally stopped," Kankuro commented cheerfully, causing everyone on the boat to give him the stink-eye.


	12. Odyssey

_A/N: Hello everyone! Sorry it took me so long to get a new chapter out. I've had lots of things go on in my life, like going on vacation and getting more hours at work. I finally managed to get this chapter done - whew! I hope you like it - the climax is coming soon! Only two more chapters (and maybe an epilogue) to go!_

 _This chapter is called "Odyssey" because it's another word for "journey" and that's mostly what this chapter is. So yeah._

 _As always, please please PLEASE leave reviews! They are what inspire me to keep writing!_

* * *

 ** _Chapter Twelve: Odyssey_**

There was one obstacle to get through before entering the woods around Kusagakure – a swamp. And a nasty one at that. The group trudged through slowly, trying their best to stick to dry land; who knew what lived in the water? They didn't want to find out. The air was surprisingly hot and humid, considering they were traveling north. Ino complained constantly about what the damp air was doing to her hair. At one point Kankuro joined in, saying, "I know! My make-up is running. I'm never gonna get a date now…"

Ino shot him a dirty look and Sakura stifled her giggles, punching him in the arm. Other than that, the journey was mostly silent; no one really felt like talking for a number of reasons. Being in this muggy weather didn't help matters. After a few hours of traveling, Ino wiped some sweat from her brow and let out a growl of frustration. "Are we almost out of this godforsaken place?!" she hissed, kicking a large rock and sending it splashing into the swamp water with a loud 'kerplunk.'

That in itself wasn't surprising; Ino could have quite the temper. What came next certainly _was_ a surprise, though – the green water bubbled and frothed and the water bugs skating along its surface skittered out of the way. This happened on both sides of the small patch of dry land they stood on – the group moved closer together, their backs touching, as they watched the scene unfold with wide eyes. "What the hell did you do?!" Makoto hissed as something came out of the water near her foot, making her step back. Her back bumped against someone else's – Jourei's, for that matter. He cast a look back at her and there was no hostility there – only the grim realization that they were in trouble. Meanwhile Sai grabbed Ino around her waist and pulled her further up on dry land and Kankuro wrapped a protective arm around Sakura.

What came out of the water was… ghastly. Sakura wasn't sure whether it was because the water was green or if they were literally glowing, but moving skeletons rose up out of the water, wielding swords and shields and knives. Were these terrible looking creatures lying in wait or had something triggered their appearance? And who was controlling them? "Man, someone took their diet a little too seriously," Kankuro muttered. Sakura gave him a look; it was both amusing and infuriating that he managed to find some humor in a situation like this.

"Should we run or should we fight?" Sakura debated aloud.

Jourei answered first. "Fight," he responded grimly. "If we run, they'll just follow. They don't look like they have minds of their own. This is probably a trap, and Ino-san's temper set it off."

"Say that again to my face!" Ino challenged, blushing in embarrassment, but her challenge was interrupted by Sakura, who was moving into action already.

"Let's do this, then!" the pinkette growled, feeling her adrenaline pumping. She leaped into the water, her fists already charged with chakra, and began knocking out the skeletons one by one before they could lay a finger on her. A punch here, a kick there; they were going down like flies.

"That's my girl," Kankuro said from the dry land as he pulled out a scroll to summon Crow. The rest of the gang jumped into action; Jourei and Makoto both went at the fiends with samurai blades, Ino used a kunai and hand to hand combat, and Sai began painting furiously on his scroll, using his jutsu to summon his own beasts to combat the skeletons. Working together, the group took out at least fifty monstrosities in under a minute; these creatures didn't seem like much of a challenge. The problem was, Sakura soon realized, was that even though these things were weak… they were getting back up. The skeletons picked themselves up and put their misshapen bodies back together, ready to fight again.

"We'll be at this forever!" Makoto growled, exasperated. "There's gotta be some way to get rid of these pests once and for all."

"Sealing them," was Sakura's answer. "They won't die; they can't. We'd have to seal them."

"The Cloth Binding Technique," Kankuro suddenly added. "I mean.. I know how to do it, but I've never done it before. I don't think I have the materials for it either… We Suna ninja are taught the technique as a requirement but only some of us used it in the war."

Sakura looked over at Makoto, the only other Suna ninja in their team. "Do you know how?"

Makoto's brows furrowed. "No. I'm in the same boat as him."

"Well, we don't have any better ideas!" Ino snapped. The skeletons were moving in, closer and closer.

"We'll hold them off while you come up with a plan," Sai said. He and Jourei began fending off the creatures once more, Sai with his Beast Scroll Mimicry and Jourei with his twin katanas.

Sakura's mind raced for a solution. Finally, she reached into her ninja pouch, pulling out a small scroll. "I've got all sorts of medical supplies sealed in this scroll, including a lot – and I mean a lot – of medical gauze. There should be enough in there to wrap up all of them… if we can get them all into one small area."

"You're incredible," Kankuro said affectionately.

Sakura blushed with pride, but continued, "Well, this might not work. There are a lot of things that could go wrong. Which one of you is willing to try this?" she looked between Kankuro and Makoto.

"I can herd the skeletons with my puppets," Kankuro volunteered. "Crowd them all together so she can move in with the sealing jutsu. It'd be easier that way. Plus… I only half paid attention when they were teaching this jutsu in training," he admitted sheepishly.

"Kankuro!" Sakura scolded, but quickly her mind went back to the situation at hand. "Alright," she said, then took a deep breath and unsealed her medical scroll. Pulling out all the gauze she had, Sakura began tying them all together the best she could to make one long string. "We'll all work together to herd these pests into a tight circle. Makoto, you take this and do your best. We're counting on you." With that, she handed the end of the long cloth to Makoto who looked very unhappy (almost nervous), and the group separated.

"What's the plan?!" Jourei shouted from his position in the middle of two skeletons. He whipped his sword around and lopped the head off of one, who stooped to pick it right back up. It was clear he was frustrated.

Sakura, Ino, and Kankuro began fighting as well; Kankuro unsealed Crow and Black Ant and used the both of them to begin shoving the skeletons back into the middle of a swampy area to the left of the group. "Follow Kankuro's lead!" Sakura shouted back. "We're herding them all together so Makoto can seal them!"

Jourei shot Makoto a wide-eyed look from the midst of his fight, almost as if he was in awe, before nodding grimly in response to Sakura's command. He turned and began maneuvering his attacks in the direction Kankuro was headed; everyone used their own abilities to do the same, and finally there was a giant fight in the middle of a 100 foot radius. The skeletons were all crowded together, barely constrained by the efforts of the five shinobi, who were all sloshing around in the swamp as they fought. "Makoto, do it!" Sakura yelled from her place amongst the skeletal spirits.

But for some reason, the violet-haired shinobi seemed to hesitate. She held the medical gauze in her hands, and Sakura couldn't be sure, but she thought she saw Makoto shaking. She'd never done this technique before so she was probably nervous; maybe she felt that she couldn't do it.

"Makoto; you have to try!" Sakura yelled again. "Please! You can do it!"

Finally: "Nunoshibari no Jutsu!"

Slapping the end of the gauze on one of the creatures and beginning the technique, Makoto weaved her hand-signs and the gauze began to move on its own. The other five shinobi leaped back as the cloth surrounded the group of skeletons, wrapping around and around and finally pulling tight. Not a single creature had escaped the technique. After all of the skeletons had been wrapped from head to toe, Makoto collapsed to her knees, seeming shocked at herself.

Sakura was the first to rush over to her, a bright smile on her face. The others followed, equally delighted. "You did it!" the pinkette exclaimed.

"Someone paid attention in sealing class, eh, short stuff?" Kankuro added, grinning.

"Guess I knew what I was doing after all," Makoto grumbled, but her lips curled into a self-satisfied smirk.

XXX

While traveling, the group had made the decision to take Tenchi Bridge instead of entering Kusagakure. It would take longer to get through the busy village, since guards would have to check their IDs and such; plus, they didn't want another run-in with assassins like what had happened in Amegakure. Since they'd already found out what they needed to know (like the location of Senkai's hide-out), they didn't see the benefit to asking around the village.

So to Tenchi Bridge they went; and as they exited the woods on the south side, making their first steps onto the bridge (it had been remade after the war), Sakura was flooded with memories. She remembered the mission she'd went on with Naruto, Sai, and Yamato-sensei; they'd et Sasori's contact here, not knowing it was actually Kabuto. They'd been set on getting information about Sasuke but had all nearly died instead. After Orochimaru showed up, the whole situation had been thrown into chaos and Naruto of course had lost his temper, going into Kyube mode. The whole mission had been a disaster and Sakura herself had come close to dying. With a bitter smile, the pinkette turned her attention on Sai. "Remember the mission we went on here?"

"I was just thinking about it," was his thoughtful reply.

Kankuro raised a brow, adjusting his back-pack. "Mission?"

"It was so long ago," Sakura mused, her green eyes looking out into the distance as they slowly passed over the bridge. They'd been running all day so the group was taking a break and walking for a distance. Sakura and Kankuro drifted closer together, at the back of the group. There was a slight gap between them and the other four ninja now as Sakura's pace slowed. Kankuro slowed down as well to keep pace with her. "Naruto, Yamato-sensei, Sai, and I had come here years ago. It was only a few weeks after Gaara had been taken." She looked over at the brunette, smiling slightly. "Remember how Lady Chiyo and I had fought Sasori…? He gave us information. Information that… that I thought would lead us to… Sasuke." Her smile faded.

"What happened?" Kankuro pressed.

"Well, the contact Sasori had told us about turned out to be Kabuto Yakushi, who worked for Orochimaru," Sakura continued. "Sasori said Kabuto had been brain-washed to work for him, so Yamato-sensei disguised himself as Sasori – we were banking on that to work. But it turned out, Kabuto wasn't brain-washed anymore… it was a trap for Sasori. And we'd been caught in it. After Yamato-sensei's disguise had been compromised, Orochimaru himself made an appearance and of course he made Naruto mad…" Sakura smiled wryly. "I'm sure you know where the situation went after that."

"Straight to hell, I'm guessing."

"You guessed it. Naruto couldn't control his temper, the idiot, and he went Kyubi mode and nearly killed all of us. When he's like that…. He can't control himself or his actions. He can't distinguish friend from foe… At least that's how it was back then. I stupidly tried to stop him and almost ended up getting killed. Thankfully, Yamato-sensei knew a seal – I think it was something Jiraiya-sensei taught him – to release Naruto from the hold of the Kyubi. To this day, I don't think I've ever seen anything so terrifying."

Kankuro remained silent for a long moment. "The whole thing sounded fishy from the start," he finally said skeptically. "Why did you guys take the word of an Akatsuki? He probably knew it was a set-up all along and just wanted one last chance to take you down."

Sakura frowned. "Maybe. But Naruto and I… we were willing to do crazy, desperate things to get Sasuke back. He was more than a teammate to us. So of course… if there was any sort of hope that we could find out where he was and get him back, we were going to go after it."

Kankuro glanced over at her. "More than a teammate," he murmured. Sakura tried to gauge his expression, but couldn't. Finally, he spoke again: "You love him, don't you?"

His question surprised her. Sakura's eyes widened and she gaped at him before finally looking at the wooden planks beneath her feet. Biting her lip, she took her time answering. "I used to," she finally admitted. "I loved him for a long, long time. I can't and won't hide that from you." A pause. Then: "He was my first love. My first crush. After everything we went through together… And everything Naruto and I did to bring him back… I really did think it was true love. And maybe it was, on my part. But as soon as he got out of jail… He left again. Without a word to me. He didn't bother to apologize, to get to know me, nothing. It was almost like I didn't even exist. And I realized… I didn't matter to him. He didn't love me; at least not in the way I wanted. And damn it, I was so… so angry about that, for so long!" The pinkette found herself getting angry all over again, her hands clenching into fists. "I was still angry about it when I first came to Suna on that mission. I was still preoccupied with Sasuke… with hurting… but you… you helped me find a sense of normalcy. You made everything comfortable; you made me feel at home. Safe. Happy."

"And here I thought it was the free food," Kankuro joked, earning a slap on his arm.

Sakura's face sobered and she frowned. "I'm so sorry, Kankuro. I should have told you sooner… and I understand if this complicates things… "

Kankuro's face grew serious. "In all seriousness… I'm glad you told me all of that. Sakura… Everyone's got a past. Everyone has someone that they had feelings for. I had my fair share of crushes and relationships. So I don't care if you used to love Sasuke Uchiha. I understand if you're still healing from it. A hurt like that can last forever. What matters is here and now. Do you love me?"

"Of course I do!" the pinkette responded vehemently, her green eyes flashing.

This earned a cheeky, pleased grin from him. Then Kankuro's dark eyes softened and he looked at her with affection in those inky hues. "Then that's all that matters." As they continued to walk along, finally stepping off of the bridge and onto the dirt, he grabbed her hand and held it securely. "I love you too, Pinky."

XXX

Kanabi Bridge was flat, as opposed to Tenchi bridge which arched upwards slightly, but it was just as long and even more narrow. The group of ninja, now quickening their pace, crossed easily and continued on through the forest, leaping through the trees. Sakura was deep in thought as the wind blew back her hair, whistling in her ears. They were less than a day away from Takigakure – if she remembered correctly, the last time she'd been there was on a mission when she was a genin. Naruto, Sasuke, and herself had been given a mission to escort the young up-and-coming leader, Shibuki, to the edge of the village, but of course things had gone awry – rogue ninja had come to steal the village's secret prize: the Hero Water. Hero Water gave the drinker ten times their normal chakra amount – at a price. A shortened lifespan. Sakura wasn't sure how a mere genin team had defeated those rogues, but Sasuke and Naruto – mainly Naruto – had managed it, with Shibuki's help. Sakura herself didn't do much – that was normal back then. Thinking about how useless she'd been made her hands tighten into fists… That was just one of many instances that had made her want to work hard and grow stronger. She'd sat back and let her teammates do all the work, as usual, and looking back on it now, she was sickeningly disappointed in herself. She had been weak and cowardly.

Not anymore.

Her train of thought came around full-circle as she remembered that Naruto and Sasuke had shown her the hidden entrance to Taki. Back then, the village had closed itself off from everyone else, being very secretive and distrusting. Shibuki had at first refused to even show them the entrance at all even though they were allies, she remembered. Now, thankfully, Takigakure was a little more open – the reigning peace after the war had changed that. While the waterfall entrance was still inconspicuous to strangers, ally ninja (mostly) knew where it was in case they needed to enter the village for any reason. She was sure they would go through a rigorous check and probably an interrogation when they arrived, but as long as their intentions were innocent, they would be let in as allies.

The group stopped in the middle of the woods to rest for a few hours, even though no one really slept. Makoto had protested vehemently at first, but Sakura only replied, "We have to rest for at least a little while. If we don't enter the village at full strength, we won't be successful. I know you don't want to wait… I don't either. Setsuko is my friend. But we have to keep up our strength. We've been traveling for two days straight."

The pinkette fished some soldier pills out of her kunai pouch and gave them to the team before they settled down for a few hours. Makoto paced anxiously back and forth, Sai and Ino sat together and talked quietly, and Jourei stood off to himself, rubbing his chin and looking grim. Sakura noticed that Sakura had found a place at the base of a large tree and sat back against it, stretching out his legs. Joining him, the pinkette curled up in between his spread legs and leaned against his chest. "You were a badass yesterday," he said affectionately, wrapping his arms around her. "The way you manhandled those skeleton things… and the way you took control and acted as the Leader… super hot."

The compliment made Sakura flush with pride. "You weren't so bad yourself… Puppet Boy."

He groaned. "It's bad enough with anger issues over there calling me that." He nodded his head in Makoto's direction, his gaze moving over to the pacing woman. "Do you think she's even gonna sit down?"

Sakura followed his gaze, frowning. "No. She's too worried." Then she looked up at Kankuro, her nose near his chin. "Wouldn't you be?"

Kankuro's face turned grim. "If you were missing, I'd be ripping my hair out with worry."

Sakura smiled. "You know, it's kind of cute when you look so serious," she teased.

The brunette's expression lightened and he grinned roguishly down at her. "What, you don't like my charming smile and witty jokes?"

"You call them witty? I had a different word in mind."

"Okay, okay. 'Clever.' Same difference."

"I was thinking… 'idiotic.'"

"Ouch."

Sakura chuckled quietly before laying her head on his chest and getting comfortable. She was unable to sleep due to her anxiety over what was to come, but she felt more at ease with Kankuro there than she would have felt being alone. Somehow, with him beside her, she knew that everything would be alright.

XXX

Takigakure.

It was a relatively small village, compared to Suna or Konoha, but the scenery was unmatched, especially considering all they had to go through to get there. First they'd had to go through a waterfall and into a complex cave system; then the group swam through various tunnels (and nearly drowned, they had to hold their breath so long) before emerging into a gigantic lake. Gasping for air as they came up to the surface, the shinobi swam to shore where they were met with shinobi guards on patrol. They were checked and questioned extensively; surprisingly, Ino did the talking and the guards seemed satisfied when they walked away. Sakura wasn't sure whether Ino's charm and good looks played a part in it or not.

Finally taking a moment to look around (the others in the group did too), Sakura's eyes roved over the plain but beautifully built houses and stores; it was early morning so people were up and about, setting up tents or market stands for the day. Many of them spared the foreign shinobi a curious glance as they bustled about. "I haven't been here since I was a genin," Sakura murmured.

Kankuro, who was beside her, glanced at her curiously. "You have lots of stories I don't know about," he commented. "Care to share this one?"

She smiled over at him. "I'd love to tell you all about it. Perhaps over dinner one night."

"I knew you only loved me for the free food."

With a grin, she smacked his arm, earning a smirk in return. After taking another moment to look around the village, the group set on their way. "Did you happen to see where the house was?" Jourei asked Ino in reference to what she'd seen while inside the head of the assassin who'd attacked them in Ame.

"Hard to say…" Ino began unsurely, a finger touching her chin as her blue eyes wandered. "I could only see out the window from inside the house, so I'm not sure where exactly it was. I do remember what angle the tree was at," she said, motioning to the gigantic tree in the middle of the lake, "So perhaps I just need to keep moving until I find it."

"That will take too long," Makoto hissed angrily. "Why don't we just ask?"

"There is a good chance that these people have no idea who Senkai really is or that he's here." Sai had been silent the whole time until then. "Perhaps they know him by a different name. Or they might not know him at all."

Sakura frowned thoughtfully. What could they do? What would be the most efficient way to find Senkai's hideout? Even though the village wasn't large by any means, that didn't mean finding him would be easy. He could be in the middle of the forest surrounding the village for all they knew. Finally, she had an idea. "Ino, you take Sai, Jourei, and Makoto with you. If you find the hideout, look for a secret entrance or another way in. Try to stay undetected. Remember, the main goal is to rescue Makoto. No matter how great of a team we are… we're no match for an entire organization."

"What will you and Kankuro do?" Ino asked.

"We'll ask around, get some intel if we can. From there we'll try and find a front entrance. Something that will let everyone know we're there… If I recall, they don't know how many of us there are. Kankuro and I are probably the only ones they'll recognize. So you guys might be able to keep hidden, get Setsuko, and get out if we –"

"You're going to be a diversion?" Ino gasped. "Sakura – that's dangerous! You can't take them on all by yourself!"

Sakura smirked. "I can sure as hell try."

"How will you two know when we've retrieved Setsuko and gotten out?" Jourei asked, his eyes narrowed.

Kankuro spoke up now. "Do any of you have a flare?"

Sai raised his hand. "I do."

Kankuro turned his eyes on Sai. "Good. When you've all safely gotten out of the hideout, activate the flare. We should be able to see it… I hope."

"'I hope?' That's it? That's our plan?" Makoto asked incredulously.

"It's the only one we've got," was Kankuro's grim reply.

XXX

Sakura had to admit, she was extremely nervous as they split off from the rest of the group and walked through the village. Somehow she'd gotten absorbed in her own thoughts and Kankuro did most of the talking as they approached various villagers and shinobi to ask them questions, mentioning Senkai, his other name 'The Keeper,' and teahouses in the village. When Kankuro asked one old man if there were any brothels around, Sakura pulled herself out of her stupor and stared at him incredulously. "Brothel?" she finally asked as they walked away.

To her surprise, Kankuro's face actually flushed in embarrassment. "It's not what you think."

"Oh? Explain."

"It's a story for another time," he said evasively.

Knowing the mission at hand was most important, Sakura let it go, but she reminded herself to ask him about it later. She _definitely_ wouldn't forget about that. "It relates to the mission, I promise," he said. "Don't ask me how I found out, but Senkai owned a brothel in Ame. I was just seeing if he also had one here. It could be the location of his hideout."

Sakura raised a brow. "I'll make sure to ask you about that story after we get out of here." After a moment's thought, she said, "It would probably be easier to get information out of people if we knew what he looked like."

"All I know is that he's handsome," Kankuro commented.

Sakura's brows raised. What on earth was he talking about? She was getting more and more interested in this 'story' he mentioned. What exactly had happened? "Handsome? That's vague. Doesn't exactly help," she muttered.

Finally, the pair managed to get something out of a young man who ran a clothing stand. At first he was reluctant to give out any information, but after a bribe from Kankuro, he loosened his tongue. Still, he spoke quietly and looked furtively about as he said, "The only place here that sounds like what you're looking for is on the outskirts of town. It's a teahouse – but it's more than that. The rich folk go there; foreign diplomats, people like that. You've gotta know a password to get downstairs, though… that's where the real fun happens. Or so I hear. An entire market down there. Everything you could think of. Gambling hall, black market, weapons trading, everything."

"What about someone named Senkai? Or 'The Keeper?'" Sakura pressed.

The man frowned thoughtfully. "The Keeper… Sounds familiar. Might be the guy who runs it. Now look, I don't get into all that criminal stuff. This is just stuff I heard. Rumors. I'm not getting involved."

"Understood," Kankuro said smoothly. "I don't suppose you'd know the password to get 'downstairs?'"

The man shook his head. "Sorry fella. Good luck, though."

XXX

The outskirts of town was a mere twenty minute walk. Kankuro and Sakura both kept vigilant watch as they got further and further away from the lake and the giant tree under which the Hero Water was held. Their short journey to the woods around the village was uneventful, thankfully, and soon the pair approached a large, rather nondescript cabin. The only decoration on the otherwise plain building was a small cloth over the doorway that read: "teahouse."

"This place reeks of crime," Kankuro growled.

Sakura was suddenly seized with fear. She grabbed Kankuro's hand and his reassuring squeeze was enough to give her courage. With a deep breath she followed him to the entrance.

Inside, the lights were dim and the air was slightly cloudy; people had been smoking pipes in here. The layout and atmosphere were very similar to the teahouse in Amegakure; the one she and Jourei had gone into. She couldn't get a password out of the guy at the bar then; she wondered if she and Kankuro would have any luck this time. To their right was a bar with only a couple of patrons sitting in stools. They cast the two ninja dirty looks before continuing to nurse their drinks. "Who should we talk to?" Kankuro asked the pinkette in a whisper.

She opened her mouth to respond when a smooth, warm voice to their left caught their attention. "Welcome."

The pair looked over to see a man ascending a narrow set of stairs with a smile on his face. He wore a traditional white kimono with a long, dark green warrior's jacket over it, along with wooden Geta sandals. As he came closer, Sakura noticed the man's features; he was somewhat feminine, with pale skin and a soft face, but his green eyes were deceptively sharp and piercing. He had long blue hair styled in a half pony-tail with short bangs hanging over his forehead in a perfectly even cut. "Hello," Sakura greeted hesitantly.

The man stopped in front of them, his hands clasped together. He was the perfect picture of primness and politeness. However, there was a glint in his eyes that made Sakura uneasy. "I've been expecting you," he said quietly.

That was when she knew.

Her first reaction was to take him out with a solid punch right then and there, but she'd be swarmed so quickly she'd die before she got another hit in. Not to mention… their purpose was to buy time for Ino and the others. So gritting her teeth to keep calm, Sakura ground out, "You're Senkai."

She could feel Kankuro tense up beside her and wondered briefly if he wouldn't show the same restraint she did. But he didn't move; he also seemed to sense it wouldn't be a good idea to attack this man just yet.

The handsome man's lips curled into a small smirk and Sakura's heart leaped into her throat. She could feel her pulse racing with fear, her gloved hands clenching and releasing anxiously. "Indeed. Come; let me take you downstairs. We have a lot to talk about."

Sakura wanted to know what exactly he thought they had to 'talk about,' like they weren't enemies, like he hadn't ordered his goons to kidnap one of her friends, like they were associates about to make a business transaction… his arrogance made her skin crawl. But she reminded herself again that she had to buy time for her friends, so giving Kankuro a reassuring glance, she nodded obediently.

Senkai turned away, his posture feminine and graceful, and descended the stairs once more. When a guard opened the locked door for him, Sakura could see nothing but inky blackness down below.

As she descended the stairs beside Kankuro, she felt a lump rising in her throat and resisted the urge to vomit. Why did she feel like something was going to go horribly wrong?

' _What is in store for us behind that door?'_


	13. The Keeper

_**Chapter Thirteen: The Keeper**_

It took Ino longer than she'd expected to find the right building. The group had been caught sneaking around outside several establishments and more than once, the patrolling shinobi had been asked by villagers to escort them away. The blonde was growing increasingly frustrated with herself and her lack of success. _Where was it?_

"How far away was the tree?" Sai finally asked as she paced back and forth, mumbling to herself.

"Seemed pretty far," she replied absent-mindedly.

"Perhaps this hideout is outside the village, then," he suggested calmly. "If there was any criminal activity going on inside the village, the authorities would've shut it down by now."

"So what are we waiting for?" Makoto snapped. "Let's get our asses to the edge of the village and start looking! Every minute that goes by, my wife could be –"

"We know!" Ino snapped back, before her face grew soft. "We know. We want to find her alive, too. Let's get going."

Traveling along the outskirts of the village proved to be uneventful – until the group trekked deep into the woods and the overhanging trees shaded them from the sun. Ino's brows drew in and she frowned. "The view of the tree is almost blocked," she said. "I don't think the building was out this far—"

Without a second thought Sai lunged at her, grabbed the blonde, and pinned her to the ground. "Sai, what the – mmph!" she protested, eyes widening as he silenced her by covering her mouth with a pale hand. His dark eyes were serious as he shook his head, signaling her to stay quiet. When Ino looked over, she saw several kunai planted firmly in the ground nearby… those hadn't been there before.

 _Someone was attacking them._

Ino looked up to see if Jourei and Makoto were okay, but they both stood still, their eyes wide and unmoving; as if they were in a trance. "Genjutsu," Sai whispered, scowling. "Keep your eyes averted." Helping her back to her feet, the two remaining ninja positioned themselves in front of their helpless comrades drawing their own weapons and looking around diligently.

Suddenly, Ino heard laughter from the treetops. It had come from a northeast direction. Her blue eyes narrowed and she growled; now would be a good time to have someone along who could use the Byakugan. "Come out!" she growled; enough was enough. "Don't play games with me! Good luck trying to cast your genjutsu on me. The only way you'll beat us is to show yourself and _fight!"_

Silence. Two more kunai whizzed by, so close that if Ino hadn't side-stepped at the last moment, they would have sliced right through her arm. Sai used his short blade to deflect a few shuriken; both kept their eyes down as much as they could. Most genjutsu was activated either visually or by touch; since the perpetrators weren't touching them, or even near them, locking eyes was probably the way Makoto and Jourei had been caught. Ino knew there wasn't much she could do to get them out of the genjutsu – not right now, not while she was trying to protect them and herself. She could only hope they knew how to break out themselves.

Finally a long figure leaped down from the trees. Due to the lack of sunlight, Ino couldn't tell who it was until they came closer... It was a man – one of the villains that had framed Sakura! He looked deceptively kind, with sandy blond hair and brown bespectacled eyes. There was a soft, self-assured smile on his lips as he approached them. "I am Tetsudaite," he introduced himself. "Most people just call me Tetsu. You're here to rescue Hoki-san, yes…?"

Ino narrowed her eyes on him, her jaw clenching.

He continued without waiting for a response. Adjusting his glasses, Tetsudaite said, "I'm afraid that can't happen. You see, you all have been quite the nuisance… We've had to come up with three different back-up plans because of you. We can't let you get in the way again."

Suddenly someone swooped in from their right, seeming to go straight for Makoto and Jourei's immobile bodies behind them. Sai reacted more quickly than Ino, whipping around and clashing blades with the other intruder. Ino recognized the girl immediately, with her rosy cheeks, innocent face, and curly fuschia pig-tails; it was the other member of the villainous duo she'd seen in Sakura's memories. Ino couldn't remember her name, but at this point, it didn't matter.

They would have to fight.

She hoped Kankuro and Sakura were having better luck than her group.

XXX

The long underground hallway was musky and dimly lit with sconces on the wall. "Ever heard of electricity?" she heard Kankuro mutter under his breath. If she wasn't so nervous, she would've punched him. Senkai seemed to ignore the comment, simply guiding them through the narrow tunnel, which was pocked with various metal doors on the left and the right. What was behind those doors?

Unable to help herself, Sakura asked, "What are you keeping behind the doors?"

Senkai stopped and glanced back at her. His eerily calm expression was jarring. "See for yourself," he responded.

She shot him a hard glare before doing just that. Approaching one of the cold metal doors, she leaned up and peered through the small grate near the top – and gasped. A man, skinny and malnourished, sat still in the corner. She would've thought he was dead if he hadn't slowly shifted his dull eyes to stare at her in the near darkness. Appalled, the pinkette shrank back and turned her wide green eyes on her enemy. "What has he done to deserve this?!"

Senkai's answer was simple: "He lost." Then he continued walking along, managing not to shuffle in the dirt despite wearing the wooden Geta sandals. Those things were notoriously hard to walk in; he must've had superb grace and mobility to make it look so easy. Trying to swallow down the acid in the back of her throat, Sakura hurried after him, Kankuro staying beside her the whole time. Was Setsuko in one of these cells? Sakura doubted Senkai would make it so easy, but she had to be sure, so she checked each cell as she went by… to no avail. Setsuko wasn't there. She was disappointed but not surprised. Then something came back to the pinkette; what had Senkai said? 'He lost.' What did that mean?

Then Kankuro asked what was on both of their minds: "He lost what, exactly?"

"You'll see."

Both Kankuro and Sakura stiffened up in anger. This man's cryptic replies and nonchalant attitude were really rubbing them the wrong way. But they continued trailing after him down the impossibly long tunnel regardless – mostly because they needed to buy their teammates time, and partially because they needed information. Just how far did this guy's organization run? How many lackeys or followers did he have? How powerful was he as a ninja? They needed to know these things if they planned to take him down. But another thought crossed Sakura's mind – _could_ they take him down here and now? Or was that a battle for another day?

She was leaning towards 'no.' They couldn't take him down. A team of six shinobi against an entire organization? There was very little chance their mission would succeed, let alone them being able to take down a huge criminal gang.

Finally they saw light at the end of the hallway and it opened up into a larger room; still underground, but much more modern-looking. The natural rock and dirt walls were carved with intricate designs and instead of sconces, electric lamps lit up the room. Smoke hit Sakura in the face and she coughed, looking around. To the left, near a row of doors and entrances that led Kami-knows-where, were several women.

Scantily-clad women.

"Senkai-sama!" they all gushed, rushing over to him with glowing faces. It was becoming more and more clear that these women were prostitutes, but their location made Sakura think they were here to serve one man only: Senkai himself. He wrapped two arms around each of the girls' waists and gave them each a kiss that seemed too tender for his villainous status. They swooned. It was only when Senkai himself looked back at Kankuro and Sakura that the women followed his gaze curiously. "Are we serving them tonight, also, master?" One of them asked.

"Not tonight," was his gentle reply. "I have business to conduct now. Leave us. I'll be by later."

It was then that he released them and headed towards the right; one of several entrances veered off into another long tunnel that eventually opened up into another open area. This room was larger than the last, and had gambling machines and tables everywhere. There were plenty of patrons down here, as opposed to the nearly vacant bar upstairs. Most of them didn't even give the trio a second look as the ringleader swept through the room, heading straight to the back. This time there was a locked door with two guards in front of it. As soon as they laid their eyes on Senkai, they moved to unlock the door and hold it open for him. He led Kankuro and Sakura into yet another hallway.

"What's with all the tunnels? What are we, mole rats?" Kankuro muttered. Sakura only cast him a dirty look.

"Are you going to explain to us what is going on?" the kunoichi demanded.

The only answer she received was a small smile cast back at her. Their tour guide's green eyes seemed to say, "You'll see."

And soon enough, they did. This hallway branched off into other tunnels at various points but they stayed on the same path, walking all the way to the end. When they got close, Sakura could hear a dull roar; what was it? Construction work? Someone performing earth-style jutsu? Or an animal or beast?

As they reached the mouth of the tunnel and Senkai stepped down onto a platform, Sakura could see a bright light. Following him down, her vision adjusted to the new lighting and dull roar widened into a much louder, more piercing sound and looking around, she realized—

– they were in a huge arena.

The dull roar she'd been hearing was a gigantic crowd of spectators, all cheering at what was going on below: a fight. Between two ninja, it looked like.

"Earth style: Mud Wall!" one of the contestants roared. It was hard to see from way up here in the spectators' box (the area itself was far down below), but Sakura knew the two fighters were both pretty torn up.

"You're kidding me," Kankuro muttered, his hands gripping the iron railing in front of him tightly. "You have an underground fight club?!"

"I don't allow people to talk about it," Senkai responded smoothly, his eyes never leaving the spectacle below.

Sakura grit her teeth. She remembered a man mentioning underground fighting rings – was it the man at the teahouse in Amegakure? He'd been right, after all. But she couldn't understand for the life of her why the Keeper had gone to all of the trouble to show them this instead of just killing them as soon as they'd entered the teahouse. "Why…" she looked over at him; not too much taller than her, but very imposing nonetheless. "… Why have you shown us all of this?"

Senkai finally turned his head away from the raging fight below and fixed his sharp green eyes on her. All of the air left her lungs. His gaze on the surface was warm and calm, but she could see the cold, analytic stare underneath and it made a shiver roll down her spine.

Finally, he spoke: "You two are going to fight. To the death."

Sakura was outraged. For the first time since they'd entered the teahouse, she lost her carefully controlled temper. "What the hell are you talking about?!" the pinkette hissed, whipping around to face him, her gloved fists coming up threateningly. Kankuro turned his body along with her, one hand moving back to the scrolls on his back. He was ready to whip Crow out at any moment.

Senkai didn't even bother to face them. His whole body was entirely relaxed and Sakura couldn't help but wonder why even he wouldn't grow tense at the prospect of fighting two very capable, Jonin-level shinobi. There must be something, some trump card he had in his sleeve that they didn't know about… something that was putting him at ease…

… But what?

A booming voice sounded over speakers in every corner of the massive cavern, signaling the end of the fight. "And our victor emerges! Ladies and gentlemen, Genzo of Kumogakure has defeated Itaru of Iwagakure finishing him off with Lightning Style: Spider Web!"

Fists still raised, Sakura glanced down at the arena and saw one body lying still, a speck in the dirt below. The other figure, equally as small, was crouched. The loser was… dead. Her inner medic kicked in and Sakura had to viciously fight the urge to go try to heal the poor ninja in that arena; they'd probably been coerced or forced into fighting.

She returned her attention to Senkai and she locked her jaw, that familiar rage filling her again. She could tell Kankuro was equally furious and he was ready to fight at a moment's notice. "What the hell makes you think we're gonna fight each other and not you? You must be out of your mind!" Kankuro growled from behind her.

Senkai's eye flashed and his lips curled into a smirk that was truly chilling. "You're about to find out."

Sakura nearly launched herself at him. "I've had ENOUGH of your games—"

Senkai raised a hand, a finger pointing to the ceiling. Simultaneously, the booming voice of the announcer echoed through the stadium again. "For our next fight, we have two mystery contestants: guests of the Keeper himself! Their prize: the life and freedom of their comrade!"

 _What?_

Sakura's eyes squinted and she peered down to ground level, where a cage was being lowered. In a cage hanging just above the ground at the edge of the arena was… _Setsuko!_

"No," Sakura whispered, her green eyes wide with disbelief. "… YOU!" Turning on Senkai, she failed to control her temper and lunged forward, aiming a fist right for his face. He side-stepped it, reaching to grab her wrist; Sakura anticipated this, however. She ducked down and moved her arm out of the way, instead sending her other fist towards his lower abdomen. Smoothly, Senkai used a hand to parry her blow, sending it glancing off to the side.

"Fight me," he said as he moved backwards, "And your friend dies."

Sakura stopped in her tracks. She didn't doubt Senkai's threats; he'd make good on them. Straightening her posture and lowering her clenched hands, she let out a frustrated growl, scowling. Senkai smirked again, and continued: "You will fight to the death. If you don't, she will die. Immediately."

Sakura looked back at Kankuro, her gaze softening. They had no choice, did they…? If they were to have any luck rescuing Setsuko and getting out of here, they would have to play along until they figured out a way out of this, or until Ino and her group found and helped them.

Sakura approached Kankuro, who looked as defeated as she did. Figuring Senkai would give them at least a moment before they went in the ring, she stopped right in front of her lover. Taking his hands in her own, she took a moment to just gaze at him. "Ironic, right?" he muttered. "I stayed with you so I could protect you; now I'm kinda wishing it had been someone else to come along instead of me. Like maybe that Jourei guy."

Sakura smiled slightly. "Just think of this as a friendly spar," she assured him. "We'll find a way out of this."

His face darkened. "We'll have to really fight hard. I don't think he's gonna let us off that easy. If we don't really fight, he'll kill her."

"We'll find a way out of this, Kankuro."

He squeezed her hands. "I love you, Pinky."

XXX

"So you finally decided to show yourself," Ino taunted the small girl, who clashed blades with Sai. "I was wondering when you'd stop being a coward."

"I'll kill you before all of this is over!" the girl replied viciously, looking over at Ino. The blonde averted her eyes quickly; she didn't want to get trapped in a genjutsu like Jourei and Makoto. Instead, she focused on on Tetsudaite's feet. He'd remained still this entire time – did he even fight? Or was he just going to talk them to death? Ino decided to test that. Pulling a kunai out of the pouch at her thigh, she rushed forward Just in time, the bespectacled man whipped out a weapon to combat her with and they clashed blades as well.

So this was how it was going to be.

"Please be careful, Sai!" Ino cried as the fight ensued. She and Tetsu clashed blades repeatedly; when she attacked, he countered. All the while he continued backing up, trying to put some space between them. That told the blonde that he was a long-distance fighter and wasn't as strong at close range. Neither was she, to be honest; but if she wanted to defeat him, keeping him close was probably going to be the way to do it. She thought back to all the training she'd gone under with Tsunade; seeing Sakura grow so much stronger, Ino had decided she wanted training in medical ninjutsu and evasion tactics, too. That was one advantage she had over her enemy now – while she may not have been strong at close-range attacks, she was certainly skilled at evasion. Based on that alone, she was much more likely to strike him than he was to strike her.

So each time Tetsu stepped back, Ino pushed forward, never letting him get more than a foot or two away. She aimed that kunai anywhere she could, all the while worrying about Sai. Sure, he was a strong and capable ninja and would most likely have an easier time defeating his opponent than she would… but she couldn't help it. Despite his social awkwardness, and the (accidentally) offensive things he'd said to her and to others, she… well, she cared about him. A lot. More than she probably should. If something happened to him… if he got hurt, or… or….

"A-Aaah!"

Searing pain in her upper arm caused her to cry out, grimacing. She'd been so distracted that she'd let him slice right through the sleeve of her jacket, leaving a nasty gash right below her shoulder. "Damnit!" she cursed, her blue eyes returning to her enemy – and she noticed something that she didn't pay attention to before. There was a strange symbol on Tetsudaite's forehead; a sort of star marking in a lavender hue. What was it for?

Suddenly, everything went black.

XXX

Sunlight stirred her from her slumber. When Ino awoke, she was unaware of her surroundings. The last thing she remembered was fighting Tetsudaite and blacking out. Sitting up, her head began pounding and she rubbed it groggily. Immediately the blonde realized she was in a hospital bed in a small room; sunlight drifted through the open window and the light summer breeze made the curtains stir. Soon after she noticed someone sitting at the edge of her bed, their forehead pressed to the sheets.

It was Sai, and he was asleep. With a smile, Ino reached and took one of his hands in her own. His body stirred and soon he lifted his head to look at her drowsily. "How are you feeling?" he asked, his voice husky with sleep.

"Better now that I see you," she said with a wink. More seriously, the blonde asked, "What… what happened? How did I get here?"

Sai smiled; that gentle, eye-crease smile that Ino knew was practiced, but she loved it anyways. "We did it," was his answer. "We rescued Setsuko. You're at the hospital in Suna. Senkai and his hideout were completely destroyed. You really don't remember any of it…?"

"No," Ino admitted with a shake of her head. "I remember fighting… Tetsudaite. Right in the middle of the fight, I blacked out… Next thing I know, I'm here."

"That's strange…" The artist put a finger to his chin thoughtfully. Finally, he looked back at Ino. "You might have amnesia from when you got hit in the head. I'm going to get Sakura to take a look at you. I'll be right back."

"Okay," Ino said, a little confused, as Sai stood up.

Her confusion grew into outright suspicion when the pale man leaned in and planted a tender kiss right on her forehead. "Stay right here, honey," he said softly before he left the room.

 _Honey?_

Okay, what the hell was that? Ino's face flushed and she touched her forehead where he'd kissed her. Her whole body felt warm. Why had he…? Sai had never shown outright affection like that before. Never. And if they really _had_ defeated Senkai and rescued Setsuko, why couldn't she remember any of it?

It took her a few minutes of deep thought, but suddenly Ino's eyes narrowed in realization: _she was in a genjutsu._ She'd thought Fushigi was the one who'd put Jourei and Makoto in the genjutsu… but it was Tetsu all along. Ino hadn't looked directly into his eyes, though… so how had he – ?

 _That strange symbol…_ Ino had never heard of an object or marking being a source of genjutsu – but somehow Tetsudaite had done it. Perhaps it was a kekkei genkai. Ino had no idea. All she knew now was that she needed to get out of this genjutsu, and fast.

Summoning as much chakra as she could, Ino put her hands together in a seal and uttered, "Kai!"

But nothing changed. The genjutsu was too powerful for her to break by normal means. Suddenly the blonde began searching for a weapon – anything she could use to inflict serious pain on herself, like a kunai, shuriken, or needle. Getting out of bed proved to be difficult – how was she so dizzy in the middle of a genjutsu? – but she managed to stumble across the small room to look in the drawer of a small table. Nothing. Cursing, the blond began hobbling to the door when she was stopped by a voice that sounded overhead, echoing through the room. "So you've figured it out. Pretty quickly, in fact… smart girl."

Tetsu's voice.

"I'm smarter than I look," Ino mumbled, glaring at the ceiling. If Tetsu was controlling this genjutsu, she wasn't going to get far at all. He wouldn't let her anywhere near a weapon. She had to find another way out of this.

A thought came to her, but it was almost… outlandish. She'd certainly never tried it before and she had no idea if it would work. But if Tetsu was controlling this genjutsu, that meant he was in her subconscious mind with her. If she could somehow latch onto his consciousness…

"How did you trap me in here?" she asked him, trying to buy time and keep him here. Acting like she'd given up, the blonde returned to her hospital bed and slipped under the sheets, keeping her hands covered while they began making seals.

Tetsu's voice was calm and matter-of-fact. "The seal on my forehead. You must've looked at it; that's how you were trapped in my genjutsu. The goal of my genjutsu is usually not to harm – it's to stall. Senkai-sama has plans for you all, so once your boyfriend is under my spell as well, Fushigi and I will be taking you to him. He'll decide what to do."

"S-Sai is not my boyfriend!" Ino growled vehemently, flustered. She felt her face growing hot with embarrassment and had to fight to stay focused.

Tetsu's voice was tinged with contempt. "A grown woman still blushing like a school girl… how immature."

"I'll show you immature," she grumbled, still working. Finally, the seals were complete and she pulled her hands from beneath the blankets, aiming the triangle-shaped formation at the ceiling and gathering as much chakra as she could.

"Let's hope this works," she hissed. "Mind Transfer Jutsu!"

At first, nothing happened. Tetsu was fighting it, and fighting hard. He was trying to pull his consciousness away, but Ino had already latched on and was fighting tooth and nail to meld her mind with his.

And suddenly; success.

XXX

The hospital room gave way to the forest surrounding Takigakure, and Ino blinked a few times to make sure it had worked properly. She was in Tetsu's body, alright; she could feel Tetsu's consciousness in the back of her mind, still trying to claw its way in. But she was firmly in control now, and he wouldn't be getting his body back until she allowed it.

Right in front of her, she saw her own body lying motionless on the ground, and to her left, Sai and Fushigi still fought furiously. He was still using his short sword; apparently she wasn't giving him any time to summon any of his beasts. Neither of them had noticed anything – that would be to her advantage. She could manipulate Fushigi to make it easier to kill her. But first, she'd have to take down Sai without actually hurting him.

How?

An idea came to her, and she acted on it instantly. Grasping a kunai firmly in her hand, she approached her own body and lifted it up surprisingly easy. Placing the blade at her own neck, Ino said in a masculine voice, "Stop fighting and surrender, or she dies!"

Fushigi and Sai abruptly stopped, their blades locked. The pair looked over simultaneously and the panic flashing in Sai's eyes made Ino want to smile. She fought to maintain a threatening expression. Slowly, the former ANBU lowered his weapon, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "Fushigi," she commanded in Tetsu's voice, "Dispose of those two." Ino jerked her head in the direction of Makoto and Jourei.

"But Senkai-sama said –"

"We only need two of them, right?" Ino's voice was calm and gentle; she was surprised at her own acting skills. "Kill them while I still have them in the genjutsu. We'll take these two back to Senkai-sama."

After a moment's hesitation, Fushigi brandished her kunai and approached the two shinobi still locked in genjutsu. As soon as her back was turned, Ino dropped her own body and lunged at the fuschia-haired girl. Tackling her down before she could react, Ino plunged the blade of her kunai into Fushigi's neck with shocking ferocity. "This is for framing Sakura!" She roared, unable to stop. "This is for killing those Suna ninja! This is for threatening the peace between our villages! And this is for being a total LUNATIC!"

The blonde continued stabbing her enemy long after she'd taken her last gurgled breath. It was only when Ino was covered in Fushigi's blood and her arm was aching that she finally dropped the kunai, shocked at her own work. Since when had she ever gotten so… so _angry?_

After a moment's silence, Ino looked over at Sai and opened her mouth to explain what had happened, but he already knew. Coming over to her, he wrapped an arm around her and put a blade at her neck. "Go ahead," he urged quietly.

As soon as she released her hold on Tetsudaite's mind, Ino returned to her own body. By the time she'd sat up, Tetsu's body was on the ground, motionless, and Sai was cleaning the blade of his short sword. Simultaneously, Jourei and Makoto collapsed to the ground. After a moment they came to, both rubbing their heads with similar dazed expressions. "What the hell happened?" Makoto grumbled.

Instead of answering them, Sai came to Ino's side and gingerly helped her to her feet. "You understood exactly what was going on," she said with a knowing smile.

Sai's response was matter-of-fact. "Of course. He wouldn't just attack his own teammate out of the blue."

She sighed, but the smile didn't fade. "You have to ruin everything, don't you?" The blonde shook her head ruefully. Setting a hand tenderly on his cheek, her blue eyes focused on his face and her smile grew wider. "Thank you."

Sai didn't speak, but there was something warm in his gaze. Usually his emotions were practiced, but Ino wanted to think this one was genuine. Turning to Jourei and Makoto, she set her hands on her hips. "Are you alright?" she asked them.

"That was a strange genjutsu…" Jourei muttered, scowling. "I couldn't break out of it, no matter how hard I tried. And the world kept shifting… changing… I couldn't get my hands on a weapon to break it with pain, either.. For a long time, I didn't even realize it _was_ a genjutsu."

Makoto stared at the bodies of the two enemies. "Good riddance," she growled, standing up and brushing herself off. "My only regret is that I didn't take them out myself." Glancing over at Fushigi's destroyed body, Makoto's brows furrowed. "Which one of you did that?"

Ino frowned. "I… I did."

"Good. She deserved it."

Ino didn't want to dwell on that. She was still very shocked and disgusted with herself for going so far. "Let's get going," she said quietly. "It's got to be around here somewhere."

After some more questions and a lot of searching, the group of four finally found a small, abandoned wooden shack near a large clump of shrubbery. The forestry was so dense here that they'd almost missed the little shack altogether. Luckily, Jourei's sharp eyes detected it before they went too far. After searching the area for traps and deactivating them carefully, the group approached the shack. Sai went in first – after a minute of inspection, he found a trap door in the floor. He managed to break the lock and Jourei helped him to lift the heavy iron contraption, revealing a set of stairs that descended into darkness.

"This must be a back way in," Ino muttered, her eyes wide.

"What are we waiting for?" Makoto growled. "Let's get in there. We're wasting time."

"We have to be cautious!" Ino argued.

"We should be careful," Sai agreed, "But I doubt there are any other ninja guarding this path. Those two were pretty powerful. It's a lucky coincidence that we were able to defeat them. If they were sent this way, it's likely Senkai didn't expect us to succeed, and therefore didn't waste his resources on guarding this entrance. It's also very likely no one else knows about it so he didn't expect us to find it, even if we did manage to beat his subordinates."

"I'll go first," Ino said; since it had been up to her to find this entrance in the first place, she still felt like she needed to lead the group.

Sai grabbed her hand. "Allow me," he said. "You've done well getting us this far."

Her face warmed from the compliment and she gave him a beaming smile. Letting her hand go, Sai turned and descended the stairs. One by one, the group followed, stepping down into the unfamiliar inky blackness.


	14. Rising Pillars

_**Chapter 14: Rising Pillars**_

The lights were nearly blinding as Sakura and Kankuro were taken down below. Stepping out into the arena, the pinkette lifted her gaze to first look at all of the spectators; there were people of all shapes, sizes, and ages - everything from dignitaries to rogue ninjas were present in the stands, cheering loudly. Despite their other differences, all of these people had one thing in common: they were all thirsty for blood. Even after the gruesome fight they'd just witnessed, they wanted more. "This is sick," she muttered darkly, her jade eyes glinting hatefully. Then her gaze wandered up to the cage suspended from the vast ceiling; in that cage was Setsuko, looking only half conscious. It was obvious she'd been beaten more than once. Even from a distance, Sakura could tell that she was only barely hanging on.

Sakura's hand caught Kankuro's and clung on stubbornly even as the pair had to part ways, being escorted to opposite sides of the fighting arena. Finally, her fingers had to release him and the absence of his hands in hers made angry tears prick the corners of her eyes. The guard, carrying a tall and sharp staff, parted ways with her once she was in the challenger's box: just a small white square painted into the dirt. She kept her eyes on the ground below, refusing to look up as the same announcer's voice rang throughout the large underground cavern. "Our contestants have entered the arena! In one corner we have Sakura Haruno of Konohagakure; in the other, we have Kankuro Sabaku of Sunagakure! Ladies and gentlemen, we have a hell of a fight awaiting us! I wonder who will emerge victorious!"

Sakura's hands clenched into fists. She didn't want to do this, but there was no alternative - at least not yet. She could only try to keep the fight going as long as she could, to give Ino and the others time to come up with some sort of plan - or at least find them.

But how long would that take?

XXX

The group had walked the same underground path for about half an hour before finally seeing something other than dirt on all sides. As Sai had predicted, there had been no one to challenge them - at least not yet. Finally, another fifteen minutes later, the path diverged three separate ways. Sai followed the middle path and the rest of the group did the same; and soon enough, various jail cells began pocking the walls on either side. Suddenly much more alert, all four ninja began doing their best to unlock all the cell doors, releasing the prisoners. Some immediately took their chance and escaped; others were too injured to get up. Ino wanted to stay behind and help them, but she had more important things to do right at the moment, like helping Sakura and Kankuro and saving Setsuko. She had to conserve her chakra. All the while, the group searched each cell for Setsuko, but each time they came up empty-handed. While they were all growing frustrated with their lack of progress, none of them were as angry as Makoto. "Where is she?!" the short-haired woman growled, kicking an open cell door so hard that it broke off the hinges and clattered to the ground, the sound echoing throughout the tunnel.

"You're going to alert the enemy to our presence if you don't control that blasted temper of yours," Jourei growled.

Makoto's eyes narrowed evilly on the man and she marched over to him, her body rigid. Though she was much shorter than him, she seemed to be the more intimidating of the two, at least at the moment. Getting much too close for comfort, the woman leaned up and lowered her voice to an evil hiss. "You're not the one with a missing wife, girly boy," she growled, teeth gritted. "You have no fucking idea what I'm going through. How would you feel if someone important was taken from you? HUH? So if you don't want my foot up your ass, I suggest you back the fuck off."

For a moment, it looked like Jourei was going to physically fight her. Ino and Sai watched, very still and tense. This was the last thing they needed right now; they had a job to do. Sakura, Kankuro and Setsuko were all counting on them. Ino opened her mouth to break up the fight when Jourei's face softened slightly. "You're right," he said softly. "But just… try to be careful. If we're caught, we have no chance of saving her… Let's keep going. We'll find her. I promise."

Makoto's expression softened, only slightly, and she turned away and brushed past the two shocked Konoha shinobi who'd watched the scene anxiously. There was definitely a history there, and Ino was nosey enough to want to find out, but she'd ask later. Now was not the time. Makoto led the way now, her pace quickening to a jog, then a run. The tunnel wound and branched off multiple times, but they stayed on the same path for another hour until they saw a light in the distance. Slowing down to a walk, the group halted about fifteen feet from the source of the light, all silent. After a quick analysis, Ino deduced that up ahead was a very occupied area; there were at least ten people here. Doing what, she couldn't tell yet since she couldn't see, but judging by the scattered conversation and relaxed atmosphere, these were probably customers of Senkai's, most likely here to gamble, drink, or something of that sort. "Should we just go?" she asked softly. "Act like we're meant to be here? Blend in?"

"I'm not sure how well that would work," Jourei commented quietly. "We look like we've been in battle. They might be suspicious."

"What other choice do we have?" Makoto snapped, pushing past them and marching towards the light.

"Wait - " Ino began, but it was too late. The blonde waited to hear shouts of suspicion or the signs of battle, but it never came. Casting a glance back at the two men, she followed Makoto's lead and walked into the lit area.

By all appearances, the people in this cavern were much too absorbed in their individual activities to care about or even notice the presence of a small rag-tag group of ninjas. Ninjas were probably common in these gambling halls. "What are those women doing?" Sai asked as he glanced over to a corner where a scantily-clad woman was speaking quietly and seductively into the ear of a nobleman. "Why is she dressed like…"

"Nevermind that, Sai," Ino growled, using a hand to turn his face away from the scene. "She's trashy. A woman who has nothing better to do with her life than sell her body."

"Why would she sell her body? That doesn't make sense," Sai countered curiously, earning a collective groan from the rest of the group.

"I'm going to beat some information out of one of these pricks," Makoto growled, moving to march over to the bar on the left, when Ino set a hand on her shoulder, stopping her.

"Perhaps I should do it," the blonde suggested with a sheepish smile. "I have a… ah, a more…. More open demeanor." Makoto didn't look happy about it, but relented. Sauntering over to the bar, Ino flicked some hair over her shoulder and batted her eyelashes at the customer sitting on the stool next to her. "Say… you wouldn't happen to have seen my friend, would you?" she asked, voice low and silky. She turned her body towards the man in hopes of getting his full attention. The man peered at her, looking irritated but still listening. Ino continued: "she….. e-err….." Shit, what did Setsuko look like? Ino had no idea. "H-Her name is Setsuko."

The man's brows furrowed and he seemed to think for a moment. "No idea, but she's probably at the battle arena, that's where most everyone else is."

That grabbed Ino's attention. Eyes widening, she leaned in closer and asked desperately, "Where is it? Please, tell me!"

The man leaned back, eyes narrowing. It was clear he didn't like his space being invaded. "Just keep followin' the tunnel. You'll have to get past the guards, though. Tickets are 5,000 Ryo a pop. Ain't cheap. Good luck."

Ino's face fell and she walked back towards the group in a slump. Another roadblock… although she'd gotten some valuable information, there was virtually no way they'd be able to get in. 5,000 Ryo? For just one of them? There was no way. After Ino explained all of this to the others, Makoto was the first to speak: "Then we'll just have to bust our way in."

"We're supposed to be rescuing Setsuko while Sakura and Kankuro draw everyone's attention," Jourei countered. "We can't just 'bust' our way in. We could ruin the entire mission."

"Yes, because nothing is more important than your squeaky clean mission record," Makoto snapped.

Ino gasped. "You've seriously NEVER failed a mission?"

Jourei's face darkened. "One. There was one. And I don't want this one to be another. We have to save Setsuko; she is depending on us. So we have to be smart about this."

Sai agreed quietly. "I second Jinsoku-san."

Ino looked back and forth between them all, frowning. "So… what do we do, then?"

XXX

Sakura panted, staring at the pile of parts on the ground in front of her. Her hand was still locked in a tight fist that wouldn't seem to open. Finally, she lifted her gaze to her opponent, who stood about twenty feet away, equally breathless. "I'm sorry," she whispered, more to herself than to him. Crow was a good puppet and she knew Kankuro had only taken him out because he wanted to go easy on her. But the crowd was growing restless and if she didn't start making bolder moves soon, the fight might be ended _for_ her. So far she'd merely defended herself from Crow's half-hearted attacks, dancing around the arena for a solid twenty minutes, before finally moving in and striking the puppet down. Kankuro could have easily avoided this, pulled Crow back just in the nick of time; but he, too, sensed the growing urgency in the arena and knew that they had no choice but the give the crowd what they wanted until the rest of the group found a way to save Setsuko.

Sakura waited with bated breath to see what the puppet master would do. Finally, he pulled not one, but two scrolls from behind him and in a puff of smoke, summoned the puppets within: "Black Ant" and "Salamander." Sakura, having spent much time with Kankuro over the last several months, knew his puppets and his technique quite well; Ant was for offense, and Salamander was for defense. Her gaze moved to Kankuro's painted face and her eyes squinted; she thought she saw his lips moving… like he was trying to tell her something… but suddenly Ant was coming right for her, and she had to quickly cartwheel to the left to avoid the projectiles it flung at her. Kankuro was moving much too slowly; she was easily avoiding his attacks and she knew that he was trying very hard not to hurt her. _'Damn it, Kankuro,'_ she thought, biting the inside of her cheek anxiously, _'If we keep this up… Senkai will—'_

"Halt the match," a calm voice echoed over the loud speakers. It was Senkai, Sakura could tell, and she knew exactly what he was going to say. She clenched her teeth, heart sinking as he spoke: "I'm very disappointed that my two contestants are not giving their all in this match. I'm afraid that harm will unfortunately befall their prize if they don't start giving this lovely crowd what they want."

Sakura's frustration grew into outright rage and she let out a scream, unable to contain her anger. "Just you wait until we get out of this, Senkai!" she screamed up into the stands. "I'm going to kick your _ass!"_

And without hesitation, the pinkette dashed forward, sandals kicking up dirt, coming for Kankuro faster than he could react. "SHANAROOOO!" she roared as she kicked off of the ground, front-flipped in mid-air, and brought one chakra-powered foot crashing down towards him. Kankuro was barely able to somersault out of the way, his chakra strings briefly disconnecting from his puppets. Sakura's heel impacted the ground, causing a small crater to be formed while the entire stadium rumbled like it might fall apart. Before Kankuro could get away and regroup, Sakura was on him again, tackling him to the ground and pinning him back. Now was her chance to end this; but she could no sooner kill Kankuro than she could kill herself. Plus, they were simply buying time. She had to keep her anger in check and focus on the goal. "Come at me with everything you've got," Sakura murmured softly to him under her breath. "I can take it. Trust me."

Kankuro's dark eyes flashed with appreciation and a small grin curled his lips. "You've got it, Pinky," he teased, before shoving her off of him forcefully. Sakura stumbled but was able to do a few flips backwards to distance herself; this gave Kankuro time to reattach his chakra strings to Ant and Salamander. "Black Secret Technique: Flame Filling Flower!" Kankuro yelled, and a huge burst of flame emitted from Salamander's wide open maw. Sakura somersaulted to the right and began running, trying to get away from the spray of fire and to get an opening on Salamander. She needed to take him out, but Ant kept getting in the way, throwing projectiles in her direction – before one of Ant's arms came right off, revealing a long, sharp, possibly poison-dipped dagger on the end. It came hurtling at her, much more quickly than before, and Sakura barely had time to leap out of the way, landing on her side and barrel-rolling back onto her feet. Kankuro meant business now, and on the one hand, she was thankful; but on the other, she was terrified. Kankuro Sabaku was a formidable opponent, one of the most talented shinobi in his entire village, and having the weight of his might crashing down on her was enough to make her falter.

Sakura tripped over her own feet and one of Ant's senbon nicked her shoulder, drawing blood. She thought she heard Kankuro curse as she clutched at the skin, the sanguine liquid staining her black glove. It didn't hurt much – yet. She sincerely hoped it wasn't poisoned, but more than likely, it was. She should've been more careful – when she'd fought with Lady Chiyo against Sasori, she'd managed to dodge every single weapon he'd sent her way. Why was she tripping up now? _'Focus!'_ she reminded herself, jade eyes narrowing. Continuing to dance along the ground, dodging and weaving in and out of various weapons hurtled in her direction, she looked for an opening of any kind –

– _there._

Ducking below one of Ant's flying arms, Sakura sucked in a deep breath and threw herself right in the middle of the poison gas cloud Salamander had just released; Kankuro wouldn't be able to spot her in the heavy green fog. Reaching out, she caught an unsuspecting Ant by the leg and with an incredible (chakra-infused) punch, Black Ant was reduced to spare parts. Kankuro should've seen that coming. It was an amateur mistake to leave his puppet in the gas where he couldn't see it.

Then again, he probably hadn't expected Sakura to _leap into_ the gas cloud, either.

Sakura felt he was still going easy on her because he didn't want to hurt her. Regardless, she used that momentum to leap out of the gas cloud, finally releasing her held breath, and brought her chakra-enhanced heel crashing down into Salamander's hull just as its frill came up to protect it. So Kankuro had been fast enough for that; while Sakura's kick didn't shatter the sturdy defensive puppet, she did land the blow right near the side joint of the protective frills, which loosened them. They were now hanging, swaying with each movement; another blow and they'd come right off, leaving Salamander (relatively) defenseless.

But Sakura didn't have time to plan out her next attack because with another puff of smoke, Kankuro had summoned the last puppet: and staring at her was a face Sakura hadn't seen in years. A face she'd hoped never to see again. A face that occasionally still haunted her nightmares.

Sasori of the Red Sand was hovering just above the ground not ten feet away from her, and Sakura could tell from the look on Kankuro's face that he hated this just as much as she did. He mouthed something that looked like "I'm sorry." And despite the fact that she knew he was genuine, Sakura couldn't help but feel a twinge of betrayal. How could he?

Then again, Sasori was the only puppet Kankuro had left besides a barely-functioning Salamander, who was more suited for defense anyways, and he couldn't very well fight her in hand-to-hand combat, now could he? Still, the pinkette could feel a dark rage consuming her – rage towards Sasori, not Kankuro – and with an angry yell, she whipped around and sent a fist of fury right into Salamander's hull. She was able to grab the frills on top of the puppet's long, squat body and rip them off before Kankuro's Sasori puppet sent the long metal cable from its stomach straight towards her, the end looking like a scorpion's stinger about to strike. She dodged the attack but Kankuro had succeeded in getting her away from Salamander's vulnerable body – for the moment. He began maneuvering the larger puppet back towards him, sending Sasori out towards Sakura to attack. The two shafts on Sasori's back extended out into five sharp blades on either side, looking like cruel silver wings that propelled him forward, whirling around and around. If he got close enough, she was done for.

Fueled by rage, Sakura leaped out of the way of Sasori's stomach cable once more, looking for another opening. She remembered how she'd destroyed his puppet body the very first time – by grabbing that annoying metal cord and using it to slam him violently into the ground. If she could do that again, perhaps she could get rid of the red-haired bastard. It wasn't until Salamander sent out another gas cloud that Sakura remembered that she was fighting Kankuro, not Sasori; and Sasori was Kankuro's greatest weapon. If she destroyed that puppet, the brunette would be left essentially defenseless. She had to try to preserve Sasori for him… but with the way things were looking, she might not be able to.

Sakura and Kankuro spent the next twenty minutes or so evading each other. It was only when the audience began to grow restless again that the pinkette finally moved back in, trying to get another shot at Salamander. With Sasori attacking so furiously, using not only the stomach line but also the blades on his back, it was hard for her to get any attacks in; but finally, the pinkette was able to rip Salamander's head off and toss it across the arena, ridding the puppet of its last offensive abilities. The only thing Salamander was good for now was using its thick body to protect Kankuro if he needed it. Sensing that it was no good to waste effort or chakra on the puppet, Kankuro moved all of his chakra strings (and both hands) to controlling Sasori, and both Sakura and the red-headed puppet flew around the arena, attacking and parrying. She elegantly evaded his poison darts, the poison-dipped stinger at the end of his coil, and the blades on his back, as well as any other attacks or projectiles he threw at her. It was a cat-and-mouse game now. Everything was covered in poison, and if her skin was broken, she was dead.

When Sakura saw two little metal nozzles extend from Sasori's palms, she knew what was about to happen; throwing herself behind one of the few large boulders that littered the arena, she pressed her back to the cold stone and waited for the streams of unrelenting fire to cease. She could feel the flames licking at the boulder and the stone turned hot against her skin, burning her even through her clothing, but if she moved, she was dead. Gritting her teeth and bearing the pain, she waited, not moving an inch.

And finally, the fire was gone – only to be replaced with powerful jets of water that sliced through the very rock she was hiding behind. It was back to the evading game once more, and Sakura danced around the arena, avoiding the jetstreams of water like her life depended on it. After some quick thinking, Sakura put her half-baked plan into motion. Dodging behind a somewhat large boulder, she used her chakra-enhanced strength to lift it, and with a growl of rage she threw it right at Kankuro himself. To protect himself he had to leap out of the way, barrel-rolling back to his feet quickly, but in that very short time the pinkette grabbed another, even larger boulder, hauled it over her head, and threw it right at Sasori. The boulder went slamming into the puppet, and then into the arena wall – crushing the puppet between the wall and the boulder. Sasori was unusable, now.

Kankuro's only usable puppet was Salamander, and its offense had been taken. There was nothing he could do except face Sakura in hand-to-hand combat. He seemed to sense this, because with what looked like a sigh, he began racing towards her. Sakura, despite being tired and injured, rushed towards him in a final showdown. But before the pair could reach one another, the ground between them began to rumble and shake, before splitting open entirely, leaving a gaping hole; through that hole came three figures – Sai, Makoto, and Jourei. Sakura was utterly relieved to see them, and came skidding to a halt before she fell in the hole they'd made, but her first thought was, _where was Ino?_ And what was the plan?

The audience booed the interruption and Sakura knew much worse was coming if they didn't hurry up and act. "What is going on?" she demanded, panting.

"You'll see," Makoto said with a smirk, and before Sakura could protest, the short Suna woman pointed up to the very top level of the stands.

Ino, brave soul, had grabbed the announcer's mic and screamed, "RYO! RYO FOR EVERYONE! No one should have to pay that much just to see a fight – SO GET IT, AND GET OUT BEFORE YOU'RE CAUGHT! BY THE GUARDS! HAHAHA!"

As if on cue, Jourei performed a few hand-seals and the very ceiling above them opened up, as if a giant pair of hands had hooked fingers into it and ripped it apart. Gold, tons of gold, began to fall, hitting people on the hands and landing in the arena and on the stands.

And suddenly the entire underground stadium was in a total uproar. The spectators suddenly seemed more interested in getting their money back (and possibly extra) so for most all of them, it became a mad dash for the area, beginning a game to see who could collect the most before the guards caught up to them.

But there were a host of henchmen and hired shinobi that had absolutely no interest in the Ryo raining from the ceiling; with stone cold faces, they advanced on the group of five in the arena below, presumably on the orders of the head honcho: Senkai.

Where was Senkai?

Sakura's sharp jade eyes looked from side to side, scanning the stands and even the observation boxes up higher, but there was no sign of him. Was he really the type of coward to run and save his own life while his hired help did all the dirty work? Of course he was. He did have Tetsu and Fushigi infiltrate Suna for him, after all. And since the rest of her teammates were now here and relatively unharmed, Sakura assumed that Tetsu and Fushigi were now dead. The pinkette fought the urge to go after Senkai; their primary goal was to save Setsuko. But the desire to bring him to justice weighed heavily on her heart. Torn between the two choices, Sakura hesitated just long enough to nearly be crushed by an incoming attack. Only an arm around her waist tugged her out of the way just in time. When they landed on the ground, the blow was cushioned by the body of the other person – with wide eyes, Sakura noticed it was Kankuro, whose dark eyes were glinting with pride. "You put up a hell of a fight," he said, pulling her to her feet. "But you destroyed all of my weapons. Ya got any ideas now, Pinky?"

The idea came naturally to her; it worked once before, it would work again. Her lips curled into a devious smirk and she simply said, "use me."

Kankuro's brows raised in surprise, but now was not the time to linger. Shaking off his shock, he nodded and attached chakra strings to various points on her body. He'd never used a human as a puppet before, and he certainly didn't want to put Sakura in harm's way like this, but it wasn't like he had any other choice. It was either use his girlfriend as a weapon, or sit there like a useless lump while the others protected him. At least this way, he could be proactive and contribute. Either way, Sakura would be in danger. In fact, he could help keep her safe this way; so, quickly warming up to this new idea, Kankuro began manipulating the pinkette, using his chakra strings to tug her out of the way of an incoming attack or enhance her attacks. Simultaneously the pinkette released the seal on her forehead, beginning her Mitotic Regeneration technique. The mass stores of chakra that had been stored in that diamond healed her injuries, restored her cells, enhanced her strength, and augmented her senses. She was superhuman, the most dangerous puppet of all.

Unexpectedly, the pair worked brilliantly together, almost as if their minds were in sync. Sakura remembered the way it felt when Lady Chiyo had used her as a human puppet; this instance was very similar. The exception was that she knew Kankuro much more intimately and their battle tactics were very similar. She trusted Kankuro in a way she trusted very few other people and because of that, their combined attacks were much smoother, more efficient, and more powerful. They were a force to be reckoned with, even as multiple shinobi came for their blood; but another astounding force in the arena, Sakura noticed, was the combination of Jourei and Makoto.

They might've had a long and messy history that interfered with their personal relationship, but when they were fighting, they were a single, unstoppable unit. The two samurai wielded their blades masterfully, making up for one another's weaknesses and enhancing each other's strengths. It was clear that they'd trained extensively together in their younger days to be able to fight together so seamlessly. Another thing Sakura managed to notice was that neither of them looked bitter towards each other; there was no trace of their earlier conflict. They were confident, secure, even elegant as they dispatched their enemies.

Meanwhile, Ino was fending off enemies while Sai hurriedly painted something on a scroll. Using his beast mimicry technique, he created a large bird, which soared off of the scroll and into the air. Grabbing Ino's hand, he jumped on and hauled her up with him, and together the pair flew towards Setsuko's cage to rescue her. It was up to Sakura, Kankuro, Jourei, and Makoto to draw attention away from them so they could escape. But where? How? The entire place was underground the only way out was through the tunnels, which were probably packed with enemies. This group of shinobi, as powerful as they were, could not fend off an entire army.

Apparently Kankuro read her mind, because while he used Sakura to send an enemy ninja crashing into the arena wall (not far off from where Sasori was pinned), he yelled out, "Guys! How exactly are we gonna get outta here? I'm startin' to get claustrophobic!"

"We have Setsuko!" Ino called down from above, where Sai's painted bird was circling close to the ceiling.

"Sai, can you create another creature just like the one you're riding on?" Jourei called out as he fought.

"On it," was Sai's reply, and it was mere moments before an almost exact copy of the bird he'd painted before was soaring through the sky.

"Makoto, Sakura, get on that bird when I tell you to," Jourei commanded, wincing as the electrified knuckles of his opponent grazed his shoulder. Quickly disposing of the other shinobi with a whip of his katana, he glanced over at Kankuro, who was busy moving his fingers, causing Sakura to dance around the arena. "Kankuro, that puppet over there… is it hollow?"

"Yeah," Kankuro called back. "Can't use him to fight though since my talented girlfriend broke my heart by ripping his head off."

"How many people can fit inside of it?"

"Two!" Kankuro somersaulted to the left to avoid an incoming kunai. "But I told you, it's useless—"

"Get over to it and climb inside it! I'll be joining you," Jou commanded from his spot in the middle of three opponents. "Sakura, Makoto, get on that bird – now!"

Everyone seemed utterly confused but followed orders. By the time Kankuro had fought his way over to Salamander, who thankfully had not been completely crushed, Jourei had joined him and the two women were flying safely overhead, the large painted bird elegantly avoiding any projectiles or jutsu aimed at it. Quickly, the two men hopped inside and though it was cramped, Jourei was able to make the hand seal necessary, shouting, "Earth Release: Stone Pillar!"

Sakura watched from overhead, brows furrowed. What was Jourei planning? She found out quickly: suddenly, the earth beneath Salamander shifted and the puppet was launched upwards by a giant stone pillar. Now it was very obvious that Jourei was the earth-user who'd planted all those Ryo in the ceiling and who'd surfed underground only to pop up right in the middle of the arena. It seemed the the samurai was much more than he appeared. The pillar rose higher, higher, higher, toward the crack in the ceiling – and WHAM. The pillar broke right through, leaving an even bigger hole. When more of the ceiling crumbled, the twin birds quickly soared through the cracks and fresh air hit Sakura in the face, her short pink hair whipping around her due to the sudden wind. Wide green eyes blinked several times and she was met with the beautiful sight of the evergreen forest below, and the setting sun straight ahead on the horizon. The two birds circled back to the pillar that was jutting out of the ground, several trees having been toppled by the protrusion. Sai was already at work, using his scroll to summon a third aviary creature to carry Kankuro and Jourei. The third bird, having sensed Sai's wishes, flew down to pick up the two shinobi, who looked extremely grateful to be rid of the cramped confines of the ruined puppet. Then, the three birds took off towards the South, with the setting sun on their right side and the trauma behind them.

As the three creatures leveled with each other, flying side by side, Sakura could feel the seal on her forehead disappearing, along with her enhanced abilities; with this came a wave of exhaustion and she could feel her whole body sagging forward, her eyelids feeling heavy. Makoto, who was behind Sakura, looked over anxiously, her light lavender eyes scanning Setsuko, who laid unconscious in Ino's arms. "Is she alive?" she demanded, voice cracking.

"Yes," Ino said with a sad smile. "I've been using what little medical ninjutsu I know to help, but her injuries are severe."

Makoto looked over at Sakura, who sat in front of her. "You're a medical ninja," she snapped, "right? So HELP her!"

"I'm nearly out of chakra," Sakura said softly, still dazed from the after-effects of her jutsu. "I wouldn't be able to do much for her in this state… our best option is to get her home, as soon as possible. If we hurry, she'll make it. Right, Ino?"

The blonde nodded grimly, but it was clear in her expression that there was still the possibility that Setsuko might not survive.

"Can't these damned birds go any FASTER?" Makoto roared. Sakura glanced back to tell her to keep calm, but the pinkette's mouth fell shut when she saw the tears in Makoto's eyes.

XXX

The flight back to Suna was much quicker than it would have been on foot. The birds graciously landed right in front of the temporary hospital (since the old one had been practically razed to the ground), and the shinobi wasted no time in taking Setsuko inside. Sakura, who was feeling a little bit more rejuvenated after the long rest on the flight, scanned over Setsuko's injuries as they went into the small building, and knew without using any chakra that it was bad. She had various injuries all over her body, and she looked sick, like she'd been poisoned. "OUT OF MY WAY!" Makoto had screamed when a nurse had tried to keep her in the lobby. "That's my WIFE!"

"Mori-san… if you join her in surgery you will only be a distraction," the nurse tried to convince her. When Makoto tried to protest further, Sakura and Ino both put comforting hands on her shoulders.

"She's going to be okay," Ino said softly. "Have faith in the doctors."

Makoto silently swatted both girls' hands away from her and went over to a chair in the lobby, sitting down heavily and putting her face in her hands.

"Did you manage to see Senkai when I caused the riot?" Ino asked Sakura, turning to her.

"No," Sakura growled, growing frustrated all over again. "He must've slipped away quickly. I wanted to go after him so badly…"

Ino's expression darkened. "We need to bring him down. Who knows what else he's capable of if he's left alive…?"

"I know," was Sakura's equally dark reply. "I 'll hunt him down myself, if I have to."

The girls were interrupted by Sai and Kankuro, who approached them. Ino let Sai take her over to some seats, and Sakura turned her attention to Kankuro, looking up at him. "Hey," was all she quietly said.

"Why so grim?" he asked, tilting his head. "We saved Setsuko. We accomplished our mission."

"Yes, but... Senkai escaped," Sakura growled, head lowering in shame. "A-And your puppets… Kankuro, I… I am so sorry…"

She felt pressure under her chin; Kankuro used a curled finger to lift her head to make her look at him. His gaze was sincere. "We saved a valuable member of this village, and she will be able to clear your name and cease the tension between the villages," he said sagely. "We've won a great victory today; whether Senkai is alive or not, we've ruined his plan and sent the bastard on the run. And about my puppets…" His dark eyes glinted with amusement and pride. "Don't be sorry; I'm impressed. And who said I don't have back-ups?"

"You… made copies of them?" Sakura blinked.

"Copies upon copies. If I remember correctly, I've got about… errr… 15 Salamanders. So trust me, Pinky, you didn't ruin my collection," Kankuro finished with a wink.

Sakura nearly sagged with relief. His words were truly reassuring. Two strong arms wrapped around her, holding her against him, and the comfort of having him so near after what they'd just went through… it brought tears to her eyes. When the brunette pulled back to look down at her once more, she hastily blinked back the tears and sniffled just a bit, focusing her green eyes on him. There was a smirk on his lips. "Ya know, I found it surprisingly hot how well we worked together," he said, his voice taking on a teasing tone. As he spoke he pulled her tighter against him.

"Kankuro, we're in the middle of a hospital," Sakura scolded, smacking a hand lightly against his chest. She was so grateful for this small bit of normalcy, however, that she was willing to let his teasing slide.

He chuckled, leaning in and planting a kiss right on her forehead. "Fine, fine. How about I show you some new moves later tonight then? We can practice working as a team." With the last bit he wiggled his eyebrows.

"Your make-up is smudged, puppet-boy," Sakura countered, using a hand along his cheek to smudge the purple paint even more. Grabbing her hand, Kankuro forced one of her fingers to touch her nose, smudging purple paint on her skin as well.

"You make purple look good," the puppet master praised, smirking.

Sakura smirked right back, before her gaze wandered to the right; there, she found Jourei sitting stiffly next to Makoto. He was not touching her, nor was he speaking to her, but his presence alone seemed to comfort her. Perhaps, Sakura thought hopefully, this ordeal had made them get past their drama. Biting her lip, the pinkette's face fell. "What do we do now?"

Kankuro's expression hardened a bit. "We tell my brother everything," he replied.


End file.
